


Ground Zero

by WiggityFresh



Series: Persona: Eternal Shadows [3]
Category: Persona 2, Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: i'll add more characters as they appear so that the tags dont lie to you guys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-13
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-06-27 10:14:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 51,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19788787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiggityFresh/pseuds/WiggityFresh
Summary: Amano Maya and Suou Katsuya have found themselves intrigued by the Phantom Thieves, and have started their own investigation on the matter.Tracking down the thieves was the easy part, but sitting on ground zero of one of the largest Human/Shadow interactions isn't just going to pass over lightly, and the sudden culmination of Persona Users may cause more harm than good.Takes place in the Summer after the events of Persona 5.IMPORTANT: RE-WRITTEN INTO GROUND ZERO REDUX





	1. The Writer and the Detective

**July, 2017. Sumaru City.**

Amano Maya, freelance writer and investigator, wasn't one to 'let things go'. She didn't leave information on the doorstop, and let it get swept away without first checking every angle. And one of the angles that she had been checking came in the form of Tokyo, 2016. The day where the Phantom Thieves allegedly 'saved Christmas'. 

She hadn't been particularly following the Phantom Thieves. A few cursory browses of the site, a few glances at theories on forums and newspapers, but nothing huge. But that Christmas had struck something. All of the talks of gigantic demon lords and eldritch beings and horrors taking center stage bugged her. She needed to find out more about those thieves, and so she had stayed up longer than usual, attempting to figure out everything. Her dark hair clung to her face. Her eyes reddened and glued to her computer screen as she sat at a table, typing away furiously, the only thing keeping her sleep from catching her was the click of the keyboard keys. 

She heard footsteps coming downstairs. She waved them up. "I'll be going to bed in a minute, baby. I just need to finish this." 

Suou Katsuya was one of the top police detectives of Sumaru City, and being a detective, could easily tell when he was being lied to. "You've fallen down another rabbit hole again. You're way too close to your computer screen. You'll go blind." 

"I need to learn everything I can, Katsuya. Nobody knows a thing about their methods, or even what they look like. The closest source was the one time the leader of the thieves had been arrested, but the information is locked up so tightly that I might as well have not found it in the first place. Not even a real name has been leaked to the public. Do you know how long I looked just for a mugshot? And it's of some kid- it could easily be fake!" She rubbed her head, frustrated. 

Katsuya frowned. "Maya..." 

She turned around, giving him a soft smile. "I know, I know. Positive thinking. This kid could very well be one of the 'Phantom Thieves'." 

He walked up next to her, leaning against the back of her chair. "Besides, we're approaching this like normal people. When something weird happens, what are the chances that shadows, demons, and/or Personas are involved?" 

"...All of it." 

"So, instead of speculating from afar, why don't we take a trip to Tokyo? We're technically going to be on the job." He smiled at her. She smiled back, before giving him a peck on the lips. 

"I love you, Suou." She ran a hand through his hair. 

"Good. We can get packed after you get some sleep. It's three in the morning." He stood up, yawning, before lumbering his way back to bed. 

Maya stared at the screen for a moment, before scrawling down some names and locations. One of which she knew she was going to lend a visit to. Prosecutor-turned-Defense Attorney Sae Niijima. She closed the laptop, before following Katsuya. She just hoped the prosecutor was nice. 

\--- 

Sae Niijima was not nice. 

Katsuya looked over at Maya, who's facial expression seemed to have shifted into her 'business smile' rather than her 'friendly smile'. It wasn't extremely obvious to the untrained eye, but the tenseness around her lips and the fact that her hands, while clasped in a fairly innocuous and feminine position, were also clasped tight enough to effortlessly choke someone's neck- 

Yeah, Maya was reaching her wits end of 'positive thinking' for this one. It was like her unstoppable positivity struck an immovable wall. 

Niijima-san, we're just requesting to look at a few files involving the Phantom Thief cases. I know they're heavily classified, but you see, I'm working on this story about strange events in Tokyo-" 

Sae raised her hand, signalling Maya to stop. "I'm very sorry, Amano-san. I wish I could help you, but the Phantom Thief case has been cold and locked down for the past few months. The confession from Ren Amamiya-" 

"Do you think we could meet Amamiya-kun?" The writer asked, quickly. There seemed to be a bit of worry in Sae's expression for just a moment, before it turned as stony and cold as always. 

"I'm afraid not. He's left the city, gone back to live with his parents and then go to university. If you were only here a few months ago, then we could talk." She shook her head, feigning disappointment. Maya finally frowned. Katsuya sighed. 

"Well, we're very sorry for wasting your time. Still, it's very much an honor to meet you." Katsuya quickly added, slowly melting the growing tension. 

"I've heard some things about you, Suou-san. The pleasure is mine. Now, if you don't mind, I need to-" 

"Sis!" 

A voice rang out, young, as a girl with brown hair styled into a bob rushed past them. "I'm going to be heading to LeBlanc to catch up with Ren-kun for a bit! Do you want me to bring him a message from you?" She turned around, catching the mortified expression on her sisters face, the widening grin on the reporter's face, and the slight smirk form on the detective's face. "...Did I say something I shouldn't have?" 

Sae rubbed her temples. "...You're fine, Makoto. Just- you two, please don't cause any trouble." 

Katsuya took Maya's arm, directing the both of them to quickly bow in unison, before leading her out the door. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Niijima-san. Have a good day!" 

As soon as they stepped outside into the warm July air, Maya gripped Katsuya by the shoulders. "Did you feel that! That resonating chill in your soul?" Katsuya nodded. 

"It was faint, but it was there. That girl had a Persona. Dormant, but there, like it's being locked away or suppressed." He nodded. "LeBlanc's, huh? It might be worth checking out. Let's wait, before we actually visit. Maybe scope the place today, and then visit tomorrow." 

Maya pulled out a camera, winking. "Way ahead of you, babe! Let's do this!" 

\--- 

A day later, the two of them stood outside LeBlanc, Maya seeming deep in thought, thumbing through some notes and photos. "I think I have a plan." She said, with a small frown on her face. Katsuya stared at her, raising an eyebrow. 

"You had a plan when we left the hotel." He replied, sliding a lighter out of his pocket. 

"Yeah, but a Part 2 of a plan, in case Part 1 is a bust." She mumbled, continuing to flip through the pages. 

"Please tell me it isn't 'hold up the cafe'." Katsuya groaned, lighting his cigarette. 

"So, sudden news, looks like I don't have another plan, but hand me one of those." She held her hand out, without looking. 

Katsuya stared at her with mild confusion, but shrugged and handed her one of his cigarettes. She wasn't one for smoking, but they hadn't worked together this long without trust. She snagged it, twisting it around in her fingers for a moment, before looking over to Katsuya, her lips curling into a smile. "Let's do this." 

"Good cop, bad cop?" 

She pinched his cheek, giggling. "What are we, amateurs? Just stick with the plan." 

\--- 

LeBlanc was quiet. And then the door flung open. A man and a woman strolled inside, standing in front of the entrance as the door slowly creaked closed. Emphasis on slowly, as the woman less-than-subtly used her heel to slam the door shut. "You really need to oil that thing. Or get new hinges. I know a door guy and-" 

Sojiro was quick to interrupt. "Are you going to buy anything? We close in about an hour." 

Sakura Sojiro. Owner of LeBlanc. Highly irritable, and apparently the temporary guardian of Ren Amamiya. 

Katsuya adjusted his shades, shaking his head calmly. "We got coffee earlier. Hopefully we're not holding up any customer traffic." He made a slight gesture to the very empty cafe. The owner's brow furrowed. 

"So, what do you want?" 

Maya clasped her hands together, "So glad you asked! Me and my partner here are investigating the whole 'Phantom Thief' debacle that happened about a year ago? A few months ago, technically, but who's counting? We are, we're counting." Sojiro sighed. Maya continued. "So, we've been doing a bit of searching, and lo and behold, we found a common denominator, yay! Katsuya- Katsuya-, pull out the slide, Katsuya-san!" She excitedly slapped his shoulder a bit as he reached into a bag with a long sigh, pulling out a piece of paper that had the words 'Common Denominator' in rainbow bubble letters. 

"I wish you picked something more professional, Maya." Katsuya remarked, nervously. 

"Well, we all can't afford Copic markers! Sometimes you need to make do with stuff you find at the convenience store." 

"Please, just get this over with." Sojiro grunted. 

"Right! So, me and my incredibly attractive companion found a common denominator-" She gestured at Katsuya again. He slowly flourished the paper once more. "-and found one 'Ren Amamiya'. Have you heard of Amamiya?" She pulled out the cigarette, placing it vertically on the table, holding it steady with the tip of her finger. 

A roll of the eyes. "You wouldn't be talking to me unless I did. Yes, I housed the kid for a little bit while he was here on parole." 

She flicked the cigarette across the counter, watching as it lamely skidded to a halt in front of Sojiro, before holding a hand up to her mouth, gasping. "Parole? We have a little criminal on our hands, don't we?" She saw Sojiro's eye twitch. That definietly struck a nerve. "Anyways, as soon as our little crime-boy arrived in Tokyo, weird things started happening. Mental shutdowns up the wazoo! People dying, people changing hearts, and an upstart group claiming all the credit. Katsuya-" 

He pulled out another sheet of paper. A picture of Ren's mugshot with hastily drawn devil horns and a speech bubble that read "Me love crimes! <3". Katsuya groaned, Sojiro looked like he wanted to die. 

"-So, we think he may be involved with the Phantom Thieves! I mean, him and one other. We met a young girl, Niijima Makoto? Turns out she's got the potential for having a Perso-" Katsuya lightly elbowed her. "-She's got the potential of being a person of interest! That's what I meant to say!" 

She walked up to the bar, leaning against it. "Come on, come on, Sakura-chan. Just give us a teensy bit of information, please?" Her hands danced across the counter, before snatching him by the apron. Despite her annoyingly infectious smile, it almost seemed as if the rooms temperature had dropped a few degrees. She giggled, pulling him closer. "I'll do anything... who knows, you might need a 'Missus Sakura' in your life, and luckily I'm into men with receding hairli-" 

"Listen. I'm done with this whole... thing! This is ridiculous. I don't know about the 'Phantom Thieves', Ren is just some innocent kid, and I don't know shit about Personas!" Sojiro boomed, pushing Maya away. She stumbled backwards, catching herself, before she started laughing, holding her arm up towards Katsuya for a high-five. 

"We are so good." She said, folding her arms across her chest. 

"You're right about that." Katsuya replied, adjusting his shades. 

Sojiro stared for a moment. "Wh... what?" 

Maya shrugged, chuckling to herself. "Sorry for putting on a show like that, Sakura-san. From the information we gathered, it'd be easy to get you to slip up if you were irritated. And also from the information we gathered you were irritated by the following things: People talking too much, people loitering around the shop, people touching your things, people getting too close, people breathing, people in general." Maya winked. "Come on, I'm a top investigative journalist! I wouldn't dream of actually thinking marker drawings and inappropriate offers are professional. I'd have gotten fired by now. I just needed to act as irritating as possible in order to speed along the process! Besides, you're the one that wanted to 'get it over with' as soon as possible." 

Katsuya lit a cigarette, taking a drag. "All we really needed was you to admit you knew about Personas. We had planted the idea of us being aware of them earlier in the conversation, and if you were familiar, you would have subconsciously picked up on the bait." 

"Again, very sorry about my behavior, and I'm sure Ren is a good kid, that's not usual, but we are going to need you to call over Amamiya-kun and any friends he might have that are involved. And trust us, we're the good guys- this is more of a personal investigation. Not a formal one, so none of this will be turned into the police." 

"We're just looking into people like us. We've done a few looks into some other occurrences in Inaba, and with organizations with the Kirijo group. This one has this had the largest social impact." Her entire tone seemed to have changed, the weight of her gaze making Sojiro seem much smaller than before, when she was just rambling vapidly. She whipped out a few photos. The kids, all entering and exiting the cafe. "These are the thieves, right? I would have expected them to be older, but I'm very familiar with how determined and dangerous teenagers can be when they're on a mission." She glanced back at Katsuya, who simply nodded. 

Katsuya's head perked up, as he looked towards the stairs of the cafe. Maya hadn't even noticed them, they were so hidden in the back. "Speaking of teenagers, I don't think we need to call Amamiya-kun." He said, calmly, his point accented by the slow padding of footsteps downstairs. 

The kid was lanky, hunched over as a cat trotted down past him. The mugshot made him look much more intimidating, although maybe the glasses softened his features a bit. Maya held up her fingers, framing him between them as if she was taking a picture. "Yeah, he's got it. Although, something's bugging me..." 

Katsuya folded his arms. "What is it?" 

"We should only be getting one 'ping' from this guys soul, but something... something is making me feel like there's more." 

Ren finally spoke up. His voice was lower than expected. It demanded attention, showed a great deal of confidence for someone who seemed to be trying their damnedest to look underestimating. It reminded them of Tatsuya, almost. "...That's Morgana, my cat." 

There was a pause, as the two adults exchanged glances, before simultaneously taking a surprised step backwards. 

"What?!" 

"Morgana has a Persona. He taught me how to use my own." He elaborated, in which the cat responded with a satisfied purr. Maya's gaze shifted over to Katsuya, who had been staring at the cat ever since it had trotted in. 

He flushed, fiddling with his shades. "He- Morgana? Looks soft... Anyways, Amamiya. If you wouldn't mind calling in the rest of your thieving friends, we have some questions." 

The boy shared a look with the cat, as the feline seemed to meow what almost sounded like an affirmation, nodding it's head. Ren pulled out his phone, typing before sliding it back in his pocket. "...Morgana has an 'okay' feeling about you guys, and I guess I do too. They'll be here soon." 

And with that, he sat down at the bar like the little mob-boss he was, crossed his legs, and waited.


	2. The Persona Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I am Artemis, the bringer of pure moonlight. Do not fear, children, as thy countenance reflects the purity of thy soul."
> 
> The kids stared in awe, before suddenly shivering as the temperature seemed to plummet, the feelings of July washing away into a temperature that would more fit November. Yusuke smiled quietly to himself, as he slid his pad out of his carrier bag. Sojiro took a sudden step backwards, staring at the writers Persona. "Are you serious? That's what you kids have been off fighting with?!"
> 
> Futaba rolled her eyes. "Sojiro, I told you it was like that manga! The one I've been trying to get you to read for the longest time!"
> 
> Sojiro gave Futaba a look, before shaking his head in a mixture between confusion and bemusement as Futaba let out a soft 'wrrryyyy' as she sunk into her booth.

Amamiya Ren had prepared for a fairly normal summer. It wasn't like going back home was very comfortable- unlike Tokyo, he didn't have any friends that were willing to help dispel the rumors that he was a psychopath obsessed with assault. His parents weren't much of a help either. They were straddling the line between 'loving their son' and 'pretending he didn't exist', which definitely felt shitty. They were almost too excited when he suggested staying with Sojiro for the rest of the summer before school started.

So, imagine his surprise when two random adults showed up asking about the Phantom Thieves. He and Morgana had been listening for a while, exchanging glances of mild concern when Sojiro's own words had been twisted against him. He put a quick message into the group chat. 

~~ 

Ren: Come to LeBlanc, Thief Meeting. 

Ryuji: U know u don't have to call it that right? we've basically finished phantom thief stuff 

Ann: Right, if you wanted to hang out, just say so! 

Futaba: no this is serious :/ 

Ryuji: How do u know? 

Futaba: wiretap, two guys figured us out and apparently our leader is ratting us out 

Makoto: He is not 'ratting us out', I'm sure. If he believes this is important, than we'll go. I'll be there shortly. 

Yusuke: Myself as well. I have been needing more responses for emotions such as 'anxiety' anyhow. 

Haru: On my way! 

~~ 

Ren stared at the two of them, before trying something. He closed his eyes, activating his Third Eye, and was shocked to see several tarot cards hovering above them. Were they Wild Cards, like him? 

He closed his phone as the two newcomers stared at him for a moment. The stylishly-dressed man finally cleared his throat. "You know, we aren't here to arrest you, although it would be entirely within my rights." The woman next to him glared in his direction, before smiling at him with a disarming about of softness. 

"Don't worry about Katsuya. Trust me, what we want to know is much bigger than the law!" 

Ren simply grunted in response, as Morgana hopped onto the countertop, staring at them. "Look at their eyes. They may just seem like nosy boring adults, but they're hiding something much more powerful." He arched his back, hissing towards them. The woman raised an eyebrow, Katsuya seemed a bit hurt. 

"They said something about sensing my Persona. Do you think..." Ren mumbled under his breath to the cat. The feline glanced at him for a moment, before nodding. The silence hung around for a few more moments, before the door to LeBlanc opened up once again. Ann strode through, stopping as she stared at the two strangers. 

"Hehe... hey there." She said, sheepishly, shuffling over to a booth as Morgana happily hopped over to his Lady, purring happily as she scratched him behind the ears. "Are these the two, Mona?" She asked quietly. 

"Mrrrow... yeah, that's them- oh! Oh! Right there, Lady Ann!" He rumbled, curling up into a ball as Maya stared in confusion. 

"Excuse me, but why are you talking to the cat? Can you guys speak cat? Is that some sort of side affect to your Personas?" She asked, which seemed to be the first question that caught Ren off guard. 

"You can't understand him?" He spoke, looking over at Morgana, who peaked up with a confused expression on her face. 

"But these two have Personas, right? They'd have to have spent some time in the Metaverse in order to awaken one..." Morgana mused, directing his attention towards Katsuya. 

Ren watched as the detective first pointed at himself to ensure he was the one being 'spoken' to, before replying with an unsure 'Meow?'. Maya snorted. "This is crazy, do you think these kids are playing some sort of prank on us. I mean, they're supposed to be notorious thieves, right? Maybe this is a plan to make them seem so unhinged that they couldn't possibly convicted of a felony." 

Maya shook her head. "Doubt it, but we'll just wait and see." She glanced backwards as Futaba sidled inside, followed by Yusuke. Ren gave them both a nod, as they sat down. Maya quickly pointed at Morgana. "Quick, new kids! What is the cat saying?" 

Morgana rolled his eyes. "Please tell her to stop calling me 'cat'. My name is Morgana." 

Yusuke piped up. "He says his name is Morgana. It would be kind of you to stop referring to him as a 'cat'. He takes particular offense to the term." Katsuya shook his head in mild disbelief, as Maya gave a small bow towards the not-cat. 

"Sorry about that, Morgana-chan." She laughed nervously, Morgana huffed and returned to his snuggling into Ann. 

Slowly but surely, the rest of the thieves returned to LeBlanc, Makoto being ironically the last one to step inside, giving the rest of the team a nervous look as she recognized the two extras. "Sorry, everyone. I may have inadvertently lead them to LeBlanc. I saw them talking to Sis earlier, and mentioned Ren's name along with the restaurant." She bowed her head softly, Ren gave an easy shrug, before addressing Maya and Katsuya. 

"We're all here. What do you want?" 

"Wow... I can't believe you really are just a group of teenagers..." Maya stepped up front, positioning herself so that she could comfortably see everyone. "Answers, basically. We heard that you all defeated a god on Christmas! How exciting, it's always fun the first time!" Ren could see the edges of Katsuya's lips quirk upwards as he scanned the shocked faces in the room. 

Morgana whispered. "Told you. Dangerous." 

Maya continued. "We've only got one under our belt too, but now isn't time to measure who did the coolest thing that affected the most people, but..." 

"Ma-ya." Katsuya cut in. 

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, we're just curious about you all! It's hard to believe you're all teenagers, but I guess people do tend to develop Personas fairly early. Speaking of, can we see them?" 

A lull fell over the Phantom Thieves. All eyes shot towards Ren as they silently tried to determine what to do. 'Do we tell them?' 'We lie and don't let them know we can't access them without the Metaverse?' He frowned a bit, before clearing his throat. 

"...No." 

Maya seemed to pout, as Katsuya nodded as if in understanding. "That makes sense. Maybe we should show them our Personas first? It seems only fair." 

Sojiro finally spoke up. "Uh, hey. Will that be dangerous? I haven't seen one of these things in person, but I'd rather they not destroy my shop." He looked at the rest of the thieves for confirmation- all they could give him were sheepish grins and half-assed shrugs. 

It was possible to summon a Persona in the real world? 

Maya nodded, with a smile. "Positive thinking! Your shop will be fine!" She closed her eyes, as a blue light began to flicker under her feet, and then trail up around her body, her hair starting to shift with an invisible wind. Her eyes snapped open, flashing yellow, then blue, then back to normal before a figure rose from her body. The figure was almost robotic, gleaming as if encased in some type of metal, or ice. It's head was shaped like a precious diamond, the only human facial features being a chin and mouth at the bottom, as if the diamond was being worn as some sort of ornamental helmet. The piping and 'gloves' made it seem more like something ripped from a sci-fi movie than the depths of someone's soul, and it stared (or Ren could only assume it was staring, due to the lack of eyes) at the thieves in the room, crossing its boot-clad legs. It spoke, in a voice reminiscent of Maya, but only slightly so. 

_"I am Artemis, the bringer of pure moonlight. Do not fear, children, as thy countenance reflects the purity of thy soul."_

The kids stared in awe, before suddenly shivering as the temperature seemed to plummet, the feelings of July washing away into a temperature that would more fit November. Yusuke smiled quietly to himself, as he slid his pad out of his carrier bag. Sojiro took a sudden step backwards, staring at the writers Persona. "Are you serious? That's what you kids have been off fighting with?!" 

Futaba rolled her eyes. "Sojiro, I told you it was like that manga! The one I've been trying to get you to read for the longest time!" 

Sojiro gave Futaba a look, before shaking his head in a mixture between confusion, and bemusement as Futaba let out a soft 'wrrryyyy' as she sunk into her booth. 

Katsuya chuckled. "Did you script that little speech beforehand?" 

Maya rolled her eyes. "Shush. It's your turn." 

Katsuya shook his head, before focusing as the light began to surround his body as well. The form that arose from him was more akin to a Jester, Ren suddenly getting flashbacks to the chaotic design of Loki. Although while Loki was shrouded in darkness, this Persona seemed to be clad in light. Despite its black and white color scheme, it shone with a furious power, the stripes on it's outfit seeming to flip with the wind and extend like sunbeams as it splayed it's arms outwards. It had no face, but let out a booming chuckle. 

_"I am Hypherion. Father of the Heavenly Bodies on high. Those who bathe in my light will be forever protected."_

Maya gave Katsuya a smug look, Katsuya rolled his eyes, before looking expectantly at the teenagers. 

Ryuji leaned forwards, eyes wide. "Yo, you guys can actually summon your Personas in the real world?! For real?!" 

All eyes snapped towards him. That cat was out of the bag. He looked around sheepishly, before looking downwards. "Ah... were they not supposed to know that? Shit. I'm sorry." 

"As expected of Ryuji..." The cat murmured. 

"What was that you flea-bag?" 

Maya frowned. "So you kids can't use your Personas? I guess that's why they feel so chained up. But then, how'd you awaken to them?" 

It was Haru's turn to speak up. "Well, Investigator-san, our powers came to us in a parallel world known as the Metaverse. But the Metaverse is closed off to us now, so we are currently unable to use our abilities." 

"Call me Maya, please. And this is Katsuya. I could have sworn we introduced ourselves earlier, but I suppose that was before everyone got here. Still... a parallel world? They should still be able to have their Personas, right? Part of their souls can't be trapped in a whole other plane of existence." She looked at Katsuya for confirmation, as he shook his head. 

"No, we should find a way to be able to 'pull them out' so to speak." 

Maya paced for a moment, before snapping her fingers. "The game! The Persona Game!" 

"Don't be ridiculous, that's for kids!" 

Maya gestured to the patrons at the cafe. Katsuya relented, before walking around, shutting off all the lights, with mild protest from Sojiro, before even he eventually gave up. This was way over his head. 

"Any volunteers?" Katsuya asked, plaintively. 

Yusuke raised his hand. "...I'd like to try and awaken my Persona within reality. I can sense Amano-sempai and I have a similar affinity, and would like her to assist me." 

Maya smiled, nodding excitedly, as Ann slowly raised her hand as well. "...Well, if that's the case, then I'd want the same with Katsuya-sempai. I know I can get stronger with my 'agi' magic!" 

Ren stood up, wordlessly. Nobody questioned him, generally nodding in some sort of understanding. It only fit that the leader would participate. And Morgana followed suit with a meow. "If Lady Ann will brave this dark incantation, than so will I!" 

She had all the volunteers stand in a circle, a few worried whispers between her and Katsuya, in which Ren could pick out that she was worried about what would happen since Morgana was involved. One of her whispers mentioned 'one of them accidentally switching bodies with a cat', which almost made him back out then and there. 

"Okay!" She turned around quickly, pretending as if all her prior anxiety didn't exist. "So, you follow each other in a circle, and chant 'Persona, Persona, come to us,' over and over. You keep walking in the circle until the person in the fourth spot- Morgana- has ended up where the leader is- Amamiya-kun. The others follow suit. So, ready to get creepy?" 

The participants nodded, and did as instructed. They did their first movement, chanting. 

**"Persona... Persona..."**

The lights flickered, Makoto squealed. The group moved again. 

**"Come to us... Persona..."**

The room began to shake, as faint forms resembling what could be the participants shadow selves flickered from their bodies, slowly shifting, growing, and changing shape. Everyone stared in marginal horror as they did the final movement. 

**"Persona!"**

The group yelled, finishing before they all collapsed onto the ground. The remaining thieves stared in horror for a second, before the flickering forms resting in the air shifted from humanoid, into the shapes of their respective Personas. 

~~ 

A butterfly. A man in a mask. A flash. The room gasped as the faint form of Arsene formed behind Ren, the flicking forms of Hecate and Kamu Susano-o hovered around Ann and Yusuke, and the fluttering form of Mercurius hung over Morgana. The small cafe was feeling extremely crowded, and the pressure and power of the Personas seemed to only make it seem more so. But, after a moment, all of the teenagers Personas vanished from sight, Ren, Ann, and Yusuke clutching at their heads as if contracting a brainfreeze, as Mercurius simply faded away calmly. 

"Woah..." Ann murmured. "It looks like it worked. Although... I really need a nap after that. Maybe just some time to lie down with a tub of ice cream..." 

Yusuke grimaced. "I hardly want to think, much less eat... oddly enough..." 

"Did you see a man in a mask? Did you speak to him?" Katsuya asked, abruptly. 

Ren shook his head. "...I saw him, but then he was gone..." 

Maya frowned. "So we couldn't reach Phil... that's a little disappointing..." She paced again. "...but, since we wouldn't be able to reach Philemon, maybe we could reach Igor? I just want to see if it's still possible to get to the Velvet Room. It's been... more than few years." 

Ren cleared his throat, still trying to quell the splitting headache, but felt like he could at least operate. "I can take you there... just give me a second to rest." 

Maya and Katsuya exchanged glances for the umpteenth time, before shrugging. Why not? 

~~ 

Moments later, after heading to a back alleyway, they all found themselves crammed in a jail cell. 

Igor sat at his usual spot, the singing in the background delicately contrasting the prison-like appearance of the Velvet Room. Maya looked around, a small grimace at her face. 

Ren could tell the Velvet Room was different. It was his prison, but it felt larger, more whole. A darkly-dressed man played a grand piano in the background, and a flamboyantly-dressed- although with an equally muted color scheme- woman sang. While he didn't feel familiar with their faces, the music was welcome to his ears. 

"I suppose Igor did some redecorating..." Maya mumbled, as she pulled her way out of the cramped cell. 

Katsuya shrugged. "He and Philemon work in mysterious ways, I suppose." 

They stepped out of the little jail cell, before both Maya and Katsuya realized Ren's change of clothing. His casual outfit had swapped into that of his usual 'Joker' attire, as he continued forwards, the three of them stopping before Igor's desk. 

The long-nosed figure stared at a moment, and Ren could swear he saw that eternal grin widen a bit. "Ah, welcome back to the Velvet Room. It has been quite a while since you've returned to us." 

The short attendant clutched her book tightly, a light blush crossing her face as she spotted Joker. "Ah, welcome back my Trickster." 

"Miss Amano, I don't think that's-" It was too late, the woman had already stepped around and leaned over, embracing him. Igor's eyes glanced away for a moment, as he let out a small chuckle. "I have missed you as well. Although I should have believed that fate would bring us together once again." 

"While I'm here, Igor. I noticed something odd about Maya-san and Katsuya-san." The two adults glanced at Ren for a moment. "When I used my 'Third Eye', they had several tarot cards above them. What does that mean?" 

Igor chuckled. "Very good observation! While many people are confined to one Arcana, some are partial to a few. Consider it a weaker variation of your Wild Card ability. For example, Miss Amano is extremely efficient with Personas of the Moon Arcana, but also one of the Temperance, Hermit, and Magician Arcanas." 

Katsuya seemed slightly offended at the implication that his and Maya's powers were 'weak' per se. "Wait, what is a Wild Card-" 

_"The lines of fate will wind together the Sea of Souls once more ♪ Those who yearn for rebellion need to heed the fear the fissures of reality ♪"_ The woman in the back belted out suddenly, before returning to her singing, hardly missing a beat. Katsuya winced, Maya hummed to herself. 

"Never took Belladonna for the prophesying type. Igor?" Maya asked, looking down at the puppet. 

"It has been a great deal of time since you've sealed away Nyarlathotep. However, as he represents all that is negative in the hearts of men, he will never be destroyed truly unless man itself has been destroyed..." 

"And that's not an option." Ren mused, rubbing his chin. 

"Exactly. While you still have a great deal of time before any sort of threat occurs, you must not be careless. Miss Amano, Mister Suou, it is your responsibility to make sure these kids are able to escape any potential ruin. While they are powerful, they are still young." 

The two adults exchanged glances. Lavenza cleared her throat. "I know this sounds a bit overwhelming. As my master said, you have a great deal of time, but our Master of Masters is feeling a shift in the worlds cognition." She walked over to Joker, taking his hand in hers. "Please be careful, my Trickster." 

Joker nodded, before looking towards Maya and Katsuya. "...Are you satisfied? We should get going." He headed towards the Velvet Room's exit, while Maya hung around for a few more seconds. 

"Hey... Igor? Could we please get a key? Just so I get to see your face more often." 

The old man smiled, before holding out his hand, forming a blue key in his palm. "You are always welcome, Miss Amano. It is good to see you again." 

Katsuya rolled his eyes, before following Joker out. "Come on, Maya. If you're trying to make me jealous by flirting with Igor... that's understandable. Who doesn't like that guy?" 

The blues of the Velvet Room faded away as Ren, Maya, and Katsuya stood calmly in an alleyway. Maya smiled, turning to the two men. 

"Well, putting that foreboding stuff aside for now, who's ready for some training! Let's get those Personas powerful in any reality, hooyah!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first fic where I've actually considered a large overlying plot beforehand! It is going to be kinda slow burn to that point though- mainly fluffy interactions and training before it becomes... y'know.... Persona
> 
> side note though- i really like all the velvet people? Philemon, Igor, the attendants, Nameless, Belladonna, etc! they're all really cool!
> 
> Also, I decided to have Igor and the Velvet Attendants use English 'honorifics' rather than Japanese ones, since I think it fits more with their allusion to English literature


	3. A Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Did we come in at a bad time?" Katsuya asked. The rest of the thieves sat awkwardly, as Ryuji quickly spoke up.
> 
> "Uh, nah, we're just talking about a... video game?"
> 
> Haru nodded. "Of course! We'd never dream of destroying you if you dared to cross the Phantom Thieves!" She giggled, as Katsuya gave a concerned glance towards Maya. Nobody in the room was convinced.

"So... thoughts?" Makoto asked.

"You can't close your eyes when sneezing." Ryuji commented. 

"Thanks, but no. I mean about Maya-san and Katsuya-san." 

"I think they make a lovely couple!" Haru chirped. The group nodded in slight agreement, as Makoto rolled her eyes. 

"No, I mean can we trust them? They work with the police. Sure, they might not have anything on us now, but we'd basically be under surveillance." 

"Well, if they try anything, we can just eliminate them! After all, we drastically outnumber them, and bodies decompose much faster when used as fertilizer!" Haru suggested, as soon as the door opened with their leader, and the two people in question, in tow. 

"Did we come in at a bad time?" Katsuya asked. The rest of the thieves sat awkwardly, as Ryuji quickly spoke up. 

"Uh, nah, we're just talking about a... video game?" 

Haru nodded. "Of course! We'd never dream of destroying you if you dared to cross the Phantom Thieves!" She giggled, as Katsuya gave a concerned glance towards Maya. Nobody in the room was convinced. 

"...Anyways. We just have a couple of questions, and then we'll get out of your hair." Katsuya explained, folding his arms. "First of which--" 

Maya jumped in front of him. "The outfits! We saw Ren's, and it was so cool! Is that your normal attire when stealing hearts? Can you show me? Pretty please?" 

Katsuya shook his head. "I don't think it's something they can show us. After all, Amamiya had only found himself in that outfit when he entered the Velvet Room, and it happened instantaneously." 

"...Do you think it's a side-effect of their Personas? A reflection of their inner selves that matches with the aesthetics of their abilities?" Maya asked. 

The rest of the thieves sat stunned. 

"...Um, yes?" Ann responded. "I think that's basically exactly it. Right, Mona?" 

Morgana stared at Ann for a second, before purring. "They're definitely sharper than we took them for. Not amateurs like you guys were." He chuckled, before Ryuji threw a balled-up napkin towards him. 

"Oh... well, that's disappointing. I was hoping I could see them." Maya said, shrugging. "I guess it can't be helped, if you can't readily access your Personas." 

Yusuke raised his hand quietly. "Maya-sempai. I could sketch you a rendition of all of our Metaverse attire. It may have been a few months, but the images are still fresh in my memory." 

Ann sighed. "If you do, can you make mine less... embarrassing?" Makoto nodded sympathetically. 

"My apologies, but if Maya-sempai wants accuracy, they must be accurate." Yusuke said back. 

"...You suck." 

Maya beamed. "Really? You are amazing! I'd appreciate that so much! I've been needing to get all of your chat information anyways, but if I could just get yours for now, you could send me the images later!" She fished her phone out, before handing it to Yusuke. 

Yusuke nodded, inputting his information, before returning it. 

"...Also, if you could explain how you guys steal hearts, that'd be nice." Katsuya added. 

Morgana stretched, purring happily. "This is my time to shine! So, we steal hearts via an alternate dimension called the Metaverse. We invade Palaces, which are the twisted forms of the world based around our targets cognition, and fight our way through hordes of shadows using our unique Persona abilities. Furthermore, we use calling cards to create treasures within those Palaces, which are the physical forms of the twisted desires that belong to other people. When we take those treasures, we steal the 'hearts' of the corrupt, forcing them to face themselves and feel regrets for their many crimes!" He held his head up high, as Haru gave a gentle round of applause to his explanation. 

Katsuya just looked confused. "...That cat just meowed at me for a minute straight. Should I be worried?" 

Futaba sighed. "We go into someone's mind via a smartphone, perform Grand Theft Brain, and then cause people to feel remorse for their crimes." She paraphrased. 

Maya nodded, as if she understood completely. "Uh-huh." She said, smiling. Katsuya recognized this as her 'desperately trying to seem professional despite her confusion' smile. He quickly ended the conversation. 

"Well, I think that's our cue to leave. We'll give you a call when you're ready to start training." 

"Yeah, we've bothered these kids enough." Maya said, nudging her companion. 

"Bothering them was your idea." Katsuya responded with a smile. 

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how're you gonna contact us all?" 

Maya giggled. "We can get the number for LeBlanc, and ask Sakura-san to gather you all! And I have Yusuke's number! Have a good rest of the day!" And with that, the two of them exited the cafe. 

Morgana curled into a ball, sighing. "Despite them not hearing my very clear explanation... I do admit that they make a good couple." He mumbled. 

~~ 

Two figures sat by an old shrine, a dark-haired man strumming at a guitar, and a blonde-haired woman trying to idly and playfully kick the guitar out of his hands. 

"Can you not do that? This is a classic." 

"Ooh, _sorry-ia_ for almost breaking your old man guitar, Peacock-head." 

"Oi, Ginko, I haven't even done my make-up yet, so that doesn't even--" 

Their banter was cut off by a sudden ringing of the man's cellphone, as he reached in his pocket and flipped the phone up to his ear. "Hel~lo, you've got Michel on the horn. Who's callin'?" 

_"You know who's calling, Caller ID is a thing, Eikichi."_ Maya's voice responded on the other end, with a laugh. 

The dark-haired man, Eikichi, laughed. "Yeah, yeah. What's up, Big Sis?" The blonde woman perked up, having been slowly sliding the guitar away from Eikichi as he had his focus on the phone. 

"Oh, is that Maya? Tell her I said hi!" She called out. 

"Tell her yourself, lazy. Hey, Maya, I'm putting you on speaker." He set the phone down on the stone, setting it so that both of them could hear. 

_"Hey Lisa! Anyways, I have a question for you two. Have you ever heard of the 'Phantom Thieves'?"_

The two of them exchanged glances, before Lisa tentatively spoke up. "Uh... you mean that Rumor around Tokyo? With the people either totally changing personalities or having literal psychotic breaks?" 

_"Yeah, that!"_ Maya cheerfully responded. 

Eikichi sighed. "Yeah, we've heard of 'em. If you're trying to make a report out of it though, you probably shouldn't bother. After all, it's just some new urban myth." 

_"Too late! I met them!"_ Maya added, causing Lisa to drop the guitar she had deftly stolen from Eikichi. 

" _Haime?_ Maya, are you okay?" Lisa screamed, as Eikichi screamed for a different reason, grabbing the guitar and checking to see if there were any permanent damages or scratches. 

_"Oh, I'm fine! Although you might want to turn off speakerphone. This is super confidential. Just-- put the phone between your two faces or something!"_

"Gross, I don't want Eikichi's makeup to smear on my cheek." Lisa mumbled. 

"Likewise. Lisa might get her gaijin sweat all over my beautiful face." Eikichi retorted. 

_"...You realize you're engaged, right?"_

Lisa smirked. "Yeah, and I only want his makeup smearing on me when he's li--" 

_"Enough! Too much! Just- I can't talk about this super openly! Can you make sure that you're alone, at the least?"_ Maya yelled, the two of them practically able to hear her frantically waving her arms in protest. They chuckled between themselves, before looking around the shrine area. 

"We're alone. The shrine has been super freakin' abandoned." Eikichi explained. 

_"Well, fine... here goes. They're just a bunch of high school kids! And the good kind, that hang out and seem intimidating but they instead just sit around and drink coffee. Also, didn't do the whole 'psychotic break' thing, as far as I can tell."_ Maya said, waiting for their reaction. 

"...Let me guess, Persona?" Lisa asked. 

_"Yep."_

"Figures." 

They could hear a shifting on the other end of the line, deducing that it was probably Maya shrugging, before she finally jumped to the point. _"Anyways, we're helping them with training their Personas! And I would like you two to come. With your... 'extra memories', you guys have basically the most Persona experience out of all of us!"_

Eikichi sighed. "Well, I don't have any gigs for a while. I've been needing to take a bit of a break." 

Lisa sighed. "I guess I could leave my dojo alone for a little bit. Although we've just gotten a new student! This girl from the sticks, Inaba- I think. I would hate to leave her hanging. After all, it's been slow, and I really need any students I can get." 

"Could you bring 'er?" 

"I mean, it'd be a bit weird. Besides, if I'm going to be training kids with Personas, it'd be a bit hard to hide, wouldn't it?" 

_"True... well, she can come if she wants. Maybe we can cover and say it's a... martial arts retreat!"_

"...In the middle of Tokyo?" 

_"I don't know, Lisa! I'm trying to help you out! Just think of something or leave her behind! Please?_

Lisa sighed, before folding her arms. "...I'll think of something. Don't worry." 

Eikichi nodded. "Guess we're headed to Tokyo. How exciting!" 

Maya cleared her throat. _"Oh, one last thing? I'm going to send you guys some designs, and I need to ask you a favor before you get to Tokyo. It might take a few days, but I'll be so grateful!"_

"Yeah, sure. We'll see you there. Love ya!" 

" _Baibai_!" Lisa added, before closing the call, tossing the phone back to the musician with a smile. 

They sat in silence for a moment, slowly standing up, before staring at one another. Eikichi spoke up. "So, since that conversation is over, can I just ask you something? ...Did you..." 

Lisa hopped on her toes. "Did we just agree to meet the Phantom Thieves? Yes. Isn't that-" 

"Did you throw my guitar on the ground?!" He screamed. Lisa blinked, taking a few steps back before suddenly sprinting out of the shrine area. 

"See you back home, Chiny~an!" She called, as she disappeared into the distance. 

Eikichi rubbed his temples, before sighing. God, this summer seemed like it was either going to be a total pain, or way too exciting for his own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the cool thing about persona 2 ships is that much less people can get mad if they disagree because nobody played persona 2
> 
> another cool thing is that i get to have a really good update schedule during the summer, and then when classes start it will violently plummet
> 
> i'll try my best though!
> 
> Lets Positive Thinking!


	4. Never Meet Your Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futaba: hey who wants to go to a very cool and popular event????  
> Ann: I'm guessing you mean the Featherman thing. i can't, i have a photoshoot that day.  
> Makoto: I don't think that's exactly my expertise...  
> Ryuji: that's takeba yukari right? she's kinda hot  
> Futaba: does anyone but ryuji want to go to a very cool and popular event?  
> Ryuji: wtf

The room was dim, the only light trickling between the curtains as long nails rapped against the glass at an irritating pace. A woman, dark red hair flowing over her shoulder, and shades covering her eyes practically glared at a newspaper article involving the Phantom Thieves. It was several months old- more tabloid garbage, or so she had thought. Kirijo Mitsuru was a woman of logic, planning, and action, and the fact that she and the rest of her team had been inactive and entirely unable to figure out the Phantom Thieves methods or contribute to handling the whole December debacle was an issue. The papers then had been calling it 'Satan saves Christmas'- which had seemed to be an overwhelmingly bad simplification of what actually occurred.

"You know, if I knew our 'date' was going to be me watching you angrily stare at a newspaper clipping while drinking tea... well, I still might have come." 

Another woman, brown hair arcing around neck length, tentatively picked up a teacup, smiling as Mitsuru's gaze snapped from the paper to her. Takeba Yukari. One of the two 'wings' to Mitsuru, and potentially closer. Apparently it wasn't something she talked about very openly. "My apologies, Takeba. I'm just... distracted at the moment." 

Yukari arced a brow. "Uh-oh. You're using my surname. This must be bad." 

Mitsuru sighed, flipping the paper towards Yukari. The younger woman stared at it for a minute, before chuckling at the headline. "I was wondering when you were going to share. Mitsuru, haven't you heard? It's all a myth, apparently." This time it was Mitsuru's turn to quirk a thin brow, apparently unconvinced. Yukari sighed, handing the paper back. "I know, I know. Just... geez. Can't we let this slide? When the Thieves were popular, they acted monthly. Then they pull this big stunt, and go AWOL. I think it's fairly safe to assume that they've either quit or disbanded." 

Mitsuru took the paper back, shaking her head. "It can't be that simple. They want us to believe they've been disbanded, potentially. They may be plotting something big." She pursed her lips, brow furrowing for a moment. "I simply don't trust it. After all, they're notorious, and for some reason the most I've been able to track it back to is one name, and that name isn't even in Tokyo anymore." 

Yukari perked up. "And that name is?" 

"Amamiya Ren. Seventeen years old. Born in Inaba, and sent to Tokyo after a falsified assault charge from Shido Masoyoshi. He gave a testimony taking responsibility of the Phantom Thief incidents, but refused to give the names or identities of anyone he worked with in the process. Eventually, people around the city raised a campaign for him to go free, and all of his charges were exonerated." 

"So, if it's just one teenager, what's the hold-up?" Yukari asked, folding her arms. 

"Like I said, we don't know his methods. He can change someone's entire personality, and was clearly strong enough to defeat a high-class Shadow that was collapsing the reality of Tokyo as a side-effect." Mitsuru rubbed her temples. "If we weren't careful, we could attempt to meet up with him and then find ourselves fighting each other instead. He's dangerous. A mastermind in the shape of a young man." 

Yukari's eyes widened, as she nervously took another sip of her tea. "...Yikes. You've really put a lot of thought into this, huh? I heard the Phantom Thieves were good guys, though. Plenty of people attested to having problems solved via their work." 

"This isn't like your Featherman show, Takeba. We're dealing with a great deal of grey area. Remember, there hasn't been any solid proof disproving that they were responsible for the deaths of the head of Okumura Foods, and that principal. The most we received was a 'heartfelt' speech from the Okumura heir saying that she didn't find them responsible, and that could be entirely due to her being a teenager and being infatuated with the newest trend." Mitsuru snapped back, before pausing. "...Hold on a moment." 

Yukari folded her arms. She wasn't going to bother asking. Bothering Mitsuru in the middle of thinking was like throwing water at a cat. It was only funny once, and the other times you got scratched. 

"Yukari, you're in the newest season of Pheonix Ranger Featherman, correct?" 

Yukari shrugged. "It's more of a glorified cameo. Pink Argus, at the end of last season, passed on her Mythical Down to her successor, Pink Alnair- thereby losing her Featherman powers in the process, and usually just sticks around the home base for motivational speeches and as nostalgia pandering. I thought you watched the show?" 

Mitsuru sighed, shaking her head. "You were hardly in this season, I had heard, so I hadn't bothered. Anyways, I have an idea to draw out Amamiya. 'The newest Pink Argus visiting Tokyo for an exclusive signing event'. I can pull the strings to set it up." 

Yukari groaned, leaning backwards. "Those signing suck, though. I mean, I love my fans- although some of them could use a shower- but my hand always cramps up and one time I caught the flu from shaking too many hands." 

"You didn't catch the flu from 'too many hands', you simply shook one hand that belonged to someone with the flu. And we can rectify that. Simply wear your Featherman costume. It covers your entire body, except your face." Mitsuru explained. 

Yukari shook her head, frowning. "Fine, fine. I'll do it, but how sure are we that he's going to come?" 

Mitsuru shrugged. "We've been tracking Amamiya for a while. A purchase in his name was made towards some curry powder and cat food a couple of days ago, and he's reported to be under the surveillance of Sakura Sojiro, who happens to have a teenage daughter. If Amamiya doesn't go of his own free will, he will probably accompany the teenage daughter to see you. Additionally, he may be reluctant to use his abilities when in a large, crowded space." 

"You've... really thought this through, huh?" 

"Seems so. Get your bags packed, I'll arrange a flight for you." Mitsuru adjusted her shades, before they sat in silence for a moment until Yukari realized that she was supposed to leave _now_ and quickly stood up and bowed. 

"Sorry, it was nice talking with you, Mitsuru. Actually, I had something I wanted to ask--" She paused, as Mitsuru gave her a dubious look. "...You know, I'll just ask later. Have a good day!" She quickly bailed out the room, shaking her head. 

"I can just ask her later..." Yukari mumbled. "But how does she know they're going to be so excited to see me?" 

~~ 

"I am so excited! Featherman Pink is coming here!" A few days had passed, as Futaba was clinging onto Sojiro for dear life. "You gotta let me go! You gotta! You gotta! New Gen Pink Argus is like, an icon! She's the Hatsune Miku of Sentai Shows!" 

Sojiro tried to pry the younger girl off him. "Come on, Futaba! I already said you could go!" 

The redhead buried her face into his apron. "Yeh, but I gotta beg more so that you can pay for all the merch I wanna buy... my Metaverse money is starting to run out..." 

He scoffed, pulling her away and sitting her down at one of LeBlanc's booths. "Hang on there. I said you could go, not that I would take you. I have to watch the cafe. Why don't you ask one of your friends?" 

"I don't need any of their weirdo-ness embarrassing me in front of the real, actual Pink Argus!" She protested. Sojiro quirked a brow. "...AlrightfineI'lltextthem." She mumbled, pulling out her phone. 

\-- 

**Futaba:** hey who wants to go to a very cool and popular event???? 

**Ann:** I'm guessing you mean the Featherman thing. i can't, i have a photoshoot that day. 

**Makoto:** I don't think that's exactly my expertise... 

**Ryuji:** that's takeba yukari right? she's kinda hot 

**Futaba:** does anyone but ryuji want to go to a very cool and popular event? 

**Ryuji:** wtf 

**Ren:** I'll take you. 

**Futaba:** i love you so much you have watered my crops and saved my entire ass and life thank you thank you tha 

**Yusuke:** I could come as well. I am very curious about how much of a sensation this 'Featherman' is. 

**Futaba:** no you smell like paint pink is going to hate it 

**Futaba:** ok fine but don't say anything weird 

**Haru:** I could come as well ! I have a very old toy from when I was a little girl, and it would be a very large waste if I did not get it signed, even if the actress has changed. 

**Futaba:** ok 2 responsible people an yusuke!!! pleas pick me up in three (3) hours so we can get there early before the line gets super heckin nuts 

\-- 

Futaba looked up, grinning. "Ren and Haru said they'd take me! And Yusuke said he'd come too, but mainly Ren and Haru." She was practically vibrating in her seat, as Sojiro rolled his eyes. 

Ren wandered down from the attic, sliding his phone in his pocket. "You know, you could have just walked upstairs and asked me." 

"Eh, too much work." 

Ren stared for a moment, before shrugging and heading back up to the attic. "...See you in three hours." 

~~ 

Yukari couldn't believe this. First of all, she was having trouble figuring out how Mitsuru managed to get her off filming so quickly, and secondly, she didn't know why she hadn't put up more of a protest to the event. Being famous wasn't exactly her forte, and while the attention was nice at first, she kind of missed being able to go places without people following her around. 

...Although that wasn't too different from high school, in retrospect. 

She signed what had seemed to be the tenth body pillow of her (which was just as creepy as it sounded- when did those even get made?), and rattled off what seemed to be the hundredth catchphrase. 

Of course, her internal musing was cut off by a voice in her earpiece, snapping her back to attention. _"...That's him."_ Mitsuru's voice crackled. 

She looked around the crowd. "What? Where? I don't-" 

_"Tall, unkempt hair. Glasses. Standing next to a young man with blue-tinted hair, and the Okumura heir."_

Yukari frowned slightly. "How does he know Okumura? I guess he may have become friends with her after she expressed faith in the Phantom Thieves... oh, hang on Mitsuru." She watched as another fan walked up to the booth, clutching a shirt. 

"I'm Takeba Yukari!" She said, smiling. 

"I know." He replied, deadpan. 

Her smile faltered for a second. Hoo boy. She took the shirt, unfurling it before grimacing. That was just straight Featherman hentai, did he seriously think she was going to bother with this? "Sorry, I can't-" 

"Just sign it! It's my favorite!" The fan yelled, before a muscular man in a red Featherman costume decked the fan in the face, watching as he crumpled to the ground. Yukari winced. 

"Too much, Akihiko!" She whispered, as the fighter slowly dragged the fan out of the way of the line. 

Sanada Akihiko was a bruiser, which was why he was chosen to be Yukari's 'bodyguard', despite the fact that he could handle himself. Outside of that obvious reason, he was also there to make sure Yukari would be okay, and to assist with catching the Phantom Thief. "Sorry, Yukari. But good news, it set an example." 

She sighed, as the small group that the Phantom Thief belonged to made their way to the booth. A young girl with glasses stared at Yukari for a moment. "C-c-c-could I? ...Oh, man she's so pretty- I- sorry! Wait! Can I- please- canyoupleasesignthis?" She fumbled in her bag, pulling out a mint condition Feather Pink Argus figurine, still in the box. 

"Of course! And who do I sign it to?" She asked, twirling a pen between her fingers. 

"F-Futaba! Please?" The poor girl was practically quivering. Yukari watched as Ren put a hand on her shoulder and whispered something under his breath. The girl- Futaba nodded- before taking a few deep breaths. "It really is a pleasure to meet you, Takeba-san! I've been a super big fan of Featherman for a really long time!" She managed to get out, before looking up at the Ren with a confident smile on her face. He nodded in response. 

Yukari chuckled. Maybe he wasn't so bad of a person. Once this was over, she might just be able to ask to talk to him. She took the box, signing it before glancing up once more to see that one of the teenagers was furiously sketching her. "...Can I help you?" 

The artist looked up from his sketching. "My apologies. It's just that expression... a mix of curiosity and apprehension! I had to use you for a candid model, but I suppose the moment has passed. Although, if you wouldn't mind signing this, I'd be flattered. Apparently you're very important." 

Futaba elbowed the artist in the ribs, yelling at him about 'saying something weird', as the Okumura heir handed her a very old Featherman figure. The younger girl bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I'd be honored if you could sign this. It was a present from my father, from his own personal collection." Yukari stared at it for a moment, before carefully finding a spot along the arm and signing her name. Haru smiled, before taking the figuring back. "Thank you very much, and please excuse my friends." 

Yukari glanced over to the two bickering children, and Amamiya trying to pry them apart with little success. "Well, they're certainly unique. Although, could I ask you something, Oku-" 

_"He's distracted. This is our chance to capture the Phantom Thief."_ Rang Mitsuru's voice over the earpiece. 

"...Wait, what? I thought we were going to-" 

_"Commencing distraction now."_ She heard Aigis' monotone voice comment, before all of the lights cut out, and all hell broke loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember a bit (I think it was from the McElroys) where if you meet someone at a con or a live show or something, and they introduce themselves, that saying 'I know' is a no-go.
> 
> Which makes sense because even if it's true it is kind of creepy and a bit of a social faux-pas.
> 
> Anyways, the Shadow Operatives are here!


	5. Grand Theft Ren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He's staring at us." Akihiko commented, watching the apparent Leader of the Phantom Thieves finally wake up. Mitsuru scoffed.
> 
> "You know he can't see us, right? He's attempting to intimidate. He is simply staring blankly forwards, making a general guess of where a person may be." She explained, as Akihiko raised his hand to test the theory. 
> 
> The thief's eyes followed his hand, and the smug smirk on his face only widened. Aigis held up her fingers in a heart-shape, and he visibly chuckled. "He can definitely see us." He concluded, frowning.

There was a distinct moment between him getting tackled by a man in a Featherman costume, and him being carried off by a man in a Featherman costume, and every part of it was equally upsetting. Ren had just suddenly felt himself gripped between someone's arms like a football (which was at least some sort of testament to how strong his captor was), and suddenly being carted off away from his friends. His glasses clattered to the ground behind them as he continued to be stolen away. Damn. He liked those. Not like he desperately needed them, but they were still kind of expensive.

He closed his eyes, his third eye trying to get a read on the situation. His captor practically glowed red, so bright that it made him grimace. This wasn't just some nobody, this was a legitimately strong individual. Which meant escaping would be tricky. The other thing he could see was a cat-like form darting between people, desperately trying to catch up. He shifted his shoulder slightly, confirming that the carrying bag that held Morgana had probably been dropped in the commotion, and his friend was trying his hardest to catch up. 

"Joker! I'm coming!" Morgana cried, crawling between some very confused Featherman fans as he started to close in. "Summon your Persona!" 

Good advice. Hopefully. He closed his eyes, trying to well up the same feeling he had when summoning in the Metaverse. A sudden jerk to the right broke his concentration. "I can't focus! Morgana, get back to the others!" He yelled back, before his attackers free hand clamped over his mouth, leaving him prone. He had a pocket knife in his pants, if he could just get a second of free reign, he could reach it and begin a counterattack. He wriggled around for a moment longer, before he was nearly blinded by a sudden burst of sunlight. They were outside. He tried focusing on his Persona again- maybe a weaker Persona could do the trick. Less power, less concentration. He squeezed his eyes shut before he heard a voice whisper next to him. 

_"I am with you."_

He opened his eyes, Pixie trailing along next to him. _'Zio.'_ He thought, before the Persona held out her fingers, and a bolt of lighting struck the captor. And... nothing happened. Pixie faded away as the masked man looked down out of slight confusion, having noticed at least some attempt at resistance, and Ren was feeling drained physically and spiritually. He was flung into a car, crashing into the opposite end with a grunt, as he fumbled into his pocket for his knife. 

He whipped it out, backing against the opposite seat as the Featherman stared at him from the open door. "Well, if you're gonna fight, then fight." He taunted, almost sounding exciting about him struggling. Ren paused for a moment, before jabbing the knife in one of the seats, yanking the blade down and ripping the stuffing out in a cloud between them, as he opened up the door on the other side and made an attempt to sprint out. 

Of course, today was not his day. 

He ran into what seemed to be a metal wall, before looking and seeing what seemed to be a blonde high school girl grab him by the throat, and slowly push him back into the car. No normal person was that strong. He looked around wildly, his vision a bit blurry from the hard hit, he could see the faint forms of Yusuke and Haru (he could only really tell Haru due to her hair, and made a general assumption of who the tall kid was behind her). Did they see him? He could only manage half a yell before he was fully inside the vehicle, trapped next to the blurry girl and the Featherman. 

"Good work, Aigis. The kid is definitely slippery, if anything." The Featherman commented, "And I could have sworn he tried attacking me." 

"He was in possession of a knife." The girl- Aigis- commented. There was a small lull in the conversation, before a light thump was heard on the top of the car. He heard muffled shouting. 

"Joker! Joker, I'm coming!" 

He paused, hoping they didn't hear. The girl looked up. "There is another lifeform here. Feline. Although..." 

Shit. He tilted his head up, screaming. "Morgana, get off of there! Get back to the others!" He yelled, before turning his attention to the girl. A few clicks later, his eyes widened slightly. Did her hand turn into a gun? 

"Detecting traits similar to a Shadow. Firing now." 

"Joker, I got this! Mercurius! Garudyne!" 

_Garudyne?_ Ren could barely manage a low-level Zio, and this showboat was attempting a Garudyne? He closed his eyes, as he felt the wind pick up around the car, before a sudden gunshot next to him went off, clearing a hole in the roof of the car and sending his companion bouncing backwards onto the street. He looked through the back window, enough to see the blurry form of Yusuke dive out into the road and catch the cat, halting any traffic behind them in the process. Ren grit his teeth. He was supposed to be the leader of the Phantom Thieves, and he was the one that had gotten stolen. 

He still had the knife in his hands. His grip tightened, before he swung it towards the girl. His wrist was caught with ease, before being yanked forwards and caught by a much harder headbutt he was expecting. Then, things went dark. 

He found himself waking up in an interrogation room. Alone. Well, as alone as someone was in a room like this. He closed his eyes, his Third Eye counting the people behind the two-way mirror at the back of the room. Four, and each of them incredibly strong. He'd need to find a way out, quick. No use calling- they had probably found his phone by now, if he hadn't dropped it. 

So, there was only one thing he could do while dizzy and banged-up. Sit calmly, and smirk at the people behind the glass. 

~~ 

"He's staring at us." Akihiko commented, watching the apparent Leader of the Phantom Thieves finally wake up. Mitsuru scoffed. 

"You know he can't see us, right? He's attempting to intimidate. He is simply staring blankly forwards, making a general guess of where a person may be." She explained, as Akihiko raised his hand to test the theory. 

The thief's eyes followed his hand, and the smug smirk on his face only widened. Aigis held up her fingers in a heart-shape, and he visibly chuckled. 

"He can definitely see us." He concluded, frowning. "He didn't seem like much when we captured him, but he's supposed to be a thief, right? Maybe what he doesn't have in straight strength, he makes up in other abilities. Like being able to see through walls." 

Yukari sighed, now in her street clothes, looking through the glass. "He gives me the chills, but either way, we shouldn't have done this. We could have attempted to stage a reasonable meeting first." She protested. "We just stole a teenager off the street. You know that's illegal, right?" 

Mitsuru glared at her. "His actions are illegal. We're containing a criminal. Additionally, all we need is to gain information from him. Then we can set him free." 

"He's not an animal, Mitsuru!" 

"I am aware, Takeba." 

The tension continued to rise before Akihiko cleared his throat. "Speaking of, who's going to be doing the questioning? We could send Aigis. She'd be able to best tell whether he's lying or not." 

The Anti-Shadow Weapon nodded, before Yukari shook her head. "Give me a shot. If I come up with nothing, then we can have Aigis do it." 

Mitsuru scoffed. "And expose your involvement?" Yukari's eyes narrowed, as the redhead turned away. "...Fine. You can 'have a shot'. Go ahead." 

~~ 

Yukari entered the interrogation room, as he continued to quietly stare. He squinted, as if trying to piece something together. 

"Are you... Takeba Yukari?" He asked. They locked eyes, before the realization hit her. He had been wearing glasses before. They had kidnapped and assaulted a kid with glasses. 

"Let's just get this over with." She said, taking a seat across from him. 

"So you are." 

He looked like he had complete and total control. Without his glasses, he didn't seem like the innocuous older sibling that had taken Futaba to the signing. In this situation he was more like a cat, willing to go off at any moment. His expression shifted into something more serious and neutral, before he spoke again. 

"You shot my cat." 

Her eyes widened. "We... what?" She turned around to face the glass, glaring at where Akihiko was. She turned back around, shaking her head. "We... I'm sorry about that. I'm sure they didn't realize. But, unfortunately, that's not why we're here." 

He kept talking. "He's fine, though. A friend of mine got to him." 

"You're a Phantom Thief, correct?" 

She watched as he quirked a brow at her question, before glancing off to the side as if thinking about it. He was enjoying this, or at least pretending to be ambivalent to the situation. "Please answer my question." 

He looked at her and shrugged. "You already know the answer, I think." His arms flexed for a second, as he tried to adjust his arms that were locked behind his back. It was a fairly rudimentary way of holding him, but like Akihiko said, he didn't seem extremely strong from a physical standpoint. "I want to know about you all. Who are you?" 

She sighed, shaking her head. "I shouldn't tell you that." 

"A question for a question. We go back and forth, and answer as much as we want. As soon as we hit a wall, we stop." He suggested. What sort of game was he playing at? 

"Fine. I'll start. Do you have a Persona?" He looked taken aback for a second, before nodding slowly. That solved the first mystery. It was his turn. 

"Are you all with the police?" He asked. Not concerned, but moreso with an air of general curiosity. She glanced back towards the glass, before nodding. 

"Somewhat. We're affiliated, but it isn't common knowledge. How many 'Thieves' are there?" 

"It changes. Four consistent founding members." He replied, after some careful deliberation. It seemed like he was intent on keeping his team from ending up in his situation. "Is one of your teammates a robot?" 

She chuckled. "Aigis is a little more complicated than that, but if you want to keep things simple, then yes. Now, I think we can dance around this topic for a while, but I think we need to know the names of your teammates." 

"No." Was his immediate response. 

"I understand that, but realize we're in the same boat. I was- am- on a team of Persona-users, and trust me, I'd die for any of these guys, but the team I'm on also has a duty to make sure that the world is safe from any sort of Persona or Shadow related activity." She explained, although it just seemed like her words were hitting a brick wall. His mind was set. 

"Takeba-san. I appreciate you trying to be kind and all, but I can't sell out my team. At this point, we're just trying to have a real summer vacation before we split apart for good. So, as reasonable as it may be, I don't care." 

She stared at him for a moment. That set look in his eye. That feeling of control, like how he knew what was going to happen, or at least had an extremely good idea of how everything would pan out. It reminded her of _him_. Less apathetic, but the charisma and the unpredictability was uncanny. Different people, cut from the same cloth. She sighed, closing her eyes. "I see... well, then--" 

The door to the interrogation room swung open, as Mitsuru strode in, one hand on her rapier. "We're not giving up now, Takeba. I'll take it from here." She gestured for the other woman to leave, Yukari didn't stand up. 

"Mitsuru, we should just let him go. He's not going to tell us anything, and they're breaking apart anyways." She reminded, as the redhead scowled. 

"You're honestly taking that at face value? He's a trickster, a master manipulator. He and his team have found ways to control the media, influence the masses, and singlehandedly take down government campaigns. The Phantom Thieves are dangerous, and until we can either find a way to practically ally with them and survey them, or take them down one-by-one, then he is not leaving this room." 

"He's just a teenager, we're putting too much pressure on-" Yukari stopped as the tip of the rapier was aimed towards her, before it quickly pointed towards the door. She sighed, giving one last apologetic look towards the Thief before exiting. Mitsuru wasn't taking no for an answer. 

The redheaded woman sat down in front of the dark-haired boy, the two of them staring off. "Give me the names of your teammates." She commanded simply. He shook his head. 

"Can't. I forgot." 

"Don't get cocky with me. Although, if you like games, then here's one. We have the information of your caregiver and his daughter, Sojiro and Futaba Sakura." 

His eyes narrowed. She sneered. "Now you're listening. Simply put, if you don't give us the information we need, the Sakura's may find themselves facing serious charges for some large crime they may or may not have committed, or they may be involved in some sort of accident. I know you're following me." 

"Don't lay a hand on them. Do what you want to me, but leave Sojiro and Futaba out of this." He retorted, through gritted teeth. She chuckled. 

"You're the martyr type. You can take a beating. Physically, at least. Emotionally, we have your weakness." 

He sighed, looking down. "...The Phan-site." 

She raised an eyebrow. "Hm? That silly online forum of yours?" 

"Ask for Alibaba. That will get you in touch with my team." 

"...I see. It seems like we're making some progress then. Sit tight, Amamiya. You're in for a wait." 

And with that, she slowly stood up, regally turning around and exiting the interrogation room, leaving only Ren and his thoughts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've debated doing Chapter Titles, but after some thinking the best I could think of was 'Grand Theft Joker' and I hated it so... maybe not.
> 
> EDIT: I've caved and done chapter titles, and I also decided that 'Grand Theft Ren' was marginally funnier than 'Grand Theft Joker'.


	6. Taken Hostage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann slumped against the wall, groaning. "Was there some sort of motive? Maybe they were trying to grab Takeba and instead grabbed Ren instead?"
> 
> Yusuke frowned. "While Ren has the slim build that could be mistaken for a lithe, feminine actress under certain circumstances, if he was the wrong target then he'd most likely be returned once the mistake was noticed..."

"It's not you fault, Futaba. It sounds like there were a ton of circumstances out of your control." Makoto reasoned, gently consoling the whimpering girl.

"It is!" Futaba wailed. "I-I shouldn't have taken him to that st-stupid Featherman thing! Now he's been kidnapped, and can't use his powers, and Mona is hurt, and--!" She covered her face with a pillow, curling more into a pathetic ball on Ren's bedspread. 

"I'm... fine, Futaba." The cat winced, laying on the foot of Ren's bed. "I just... overestimated how much power I'd be using..." He scratched at a bandage across his chest. "Besides, Takemi-san fixed me up pretty good." 

"Besides, we may be able to find Ren. Wouldn't you be able to track his cell-phone, Futaba?" Yusuke mused to himself, as the orange-haired girl shook her head. "They've thought ahead. The signal's jammed, it'll take me a bit more than a week to crack it, and that's if I figure out what jammer they're using." 

Ann slumped against the wall, groaning. "Was there some sort of motive? Maybe they were trying to grab Takeba and instead grabbed Ren instead?" 

Yusuke frowned. "While Ren has the slim build that could be mistaken for a lithe, feminine actress under certain circumstances, if he was the wrong target then he'd most likely be returned once the mistake was noticed. Perhaps the kidnappers are a few remnant supporters of Shido?" 

"Nah." Ryuji commented. "I thought we squashed that once we got rid of Mementos. Best guess is that these people know that he's a Phantom Thief, which is... bad." He rubbed his chin, grimacing. "I don't want him to go through a repeat of Sae's palace." 

The rest of the thieves nodded in unison, before a figure suddenly busted up the stairs into the attic. The group stared at Mishima Yuuki, who was panting furiously holding up his phone. 

"Guys? Where's Ren, I got a really important ask on the Phan-site he needs to see." He gasped, before taking a knee next to the steps. "Oooh man. I knew I should have taken the subway..." 

"You ran all the way here?" Makoto asked. 

"I was excited! Anyways, the Phan-site has only been full of troll posts and requests for the past few months, but then someone posts something asking for 'Alibaba of the Phantom Thieves'? Which seems way too specific for a troll post, so I wanted to ask Ren about it." He explained between breaths, holding out his phone before Ryuji plucked it from his hands. 

"Ren ain't here, but maybe..." He glanced towards Futaba, who gestured for him to hand it over. 

"I'm Alibaba. Although people shouldn't know that username is affiliated with the Thieves, which means..." 

"Ren must have told them." Ann finished. "That means he's alive! At least, alive long enough to tell them about us. Who wants to bet it's about hostage negotiations?" There wasn't any debate, as a slow murmur of agreement bounced around the room. Mishima blinked. 

"Ren was taken hostage?!" He yelled. Morgana winced. 

Haru nodded solemnly. "It seems like. Futaba-chan, please check the message." 

The girl nodded, before opening the forum message. "It says, 'To Alibaba of the Phantom Thieves. We are currently holding your leader, and are trying to gain his cooperation. For you see, we are all fighting for the same justice. The elimination of Shadows and the protection of mankind. However, he refuses to help us, so we are forced to propose an ultimatum. Reveal your identities to us so we can further negotiations, or your leader will face punishments we discussed with him privately. Time is of the essence. For you, at least.'" She slowly began burying herself further into Ren's bed. "This su~cks." She groaned. 

Makoto began pacing. "They're fighting for the same justice? Then what was stopping them from simply coming by LeBlanc and talking? Maya-san and Katsuya-san managed to do it fine." She mused, her brow furrowing. 

"It sounds like they're not going to touch Ren-kun until they have proper reason to! I'd consider that a positive!" Haru interjected, forcing a smile, before sighing. "...I hope so, at least." 

Ryuji slammed his fist against the wall. "Bastards! Futaba, can't ya track down the phone that sent the message? Then we'd maybe be able to find their location!" 

"...I could try. Although for now, let's keep this on the Phan-site. I'll privately message them, and encrypt my own location. They'll likely be doing the same." 

"So for now, all we can do is communicate and comply." Yusuke muttered. "How irritating! I wish we could steal one of their companions, and see how they like it!" 

"Hold your horses, Inari. Without the Metaverse, we're just some kids. And according to Mona, Ren was stolen by a really buff Featherman who was immune to Zio skills, and a girl who literally overpowered our leader with one hand. If we want a chance, we need that training Maya offered..." 

Mishima stood there, his eyes wide. "I'm legitimately sitting in on Phantom Thief business! This is both exciting and terrifying. But... who's Maya? Is she a new member?" 

Ann shrugged. "I guess. She's offering to tutor us on how to use our powers in the real world. Speaking of, where is she? It's been like, a week since we've talked to her last." 

As if on cue, everyone heard two new footsteps enter LeBlanc, before being followed by three more. Futaba shrugged. "You guys go talk with them. I'll keep messaging these jerks." 

Makoto nodded. "Mona and I will stay with Futaba. Mishima too. I think we can handle negotiations." 

Mishima gasped. "Wait, I get to stay for this?" 

"Sure, it's your site. It's only fair." Makoto responded, as the Phan-boy stumbled over, grinning, as the rest of the Thieves headed downstairs. 

The group was met by the familiar faces of Maya and Katsuya, and then glanced over to see three new faces. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, who was looking around the cafe curiously, a blue-haired man with makeup who was carrying several briefcases, and a young woman with a bowl-cut hairstyle wearing a green jumpsuit. 

"We brought some friends to help train you! This is Lisa Silverman, martial artist and specialist in Earth skills." Maya said, gesturing to the blonde woman, who quickly bowed to the group. Maya gestured to the blue-haired man. "This is--" 

"Mishina Eikichi! Lead singer and guitarist of Gas Chamber!" Haru practically screamed, before quickly blushing and bowing. "I-I mean, it's an honor to meet you, Eikichi-san..." 

He smirked, running a hand through his hair. "Glad someone appreciates my music. Knew I was still popular with the kids." 

Maya stared for a moment, before gesturing to the final woman. "Actually, Lisa, could you introduce her?" 

Lisa chuckled sheepishly, before sighing. "So, I was planning on leaving without her, but then she caught me talking about the situation on the phone with Eikichi and... I really didn't feel like dancing around the whole situation. Sorry, kids. I accidentally outed you to one more person." 

LeBlanc was silent, before the brown-haired woman spoke up. "No worries, though! My name is Satonaka Chie, and I'm a Persona-user too! Lisa-sempai and I figured that out after she gave up trying to fumble around for a lie. Although, I'm not super great at summoning my Persona in the real world either, so consider me a student with you guys!" 

Ann shook her head. "Yeesh, what's the point of having secret identities if so many people know about them?" 

"I suppose it's fine if they're friends with Maya-sempai, correct?" Yusuke mused. 

Chie chuckled, before her eyes widened. "...That aside, I smell something good. What kind of cafe is this?" She asked, slowly making her way to the counter. 

Haru smiled. "It specializes in coffee and curry! Although Boss seems to be gone at the moment. Our apologies." 

The jumpsuit-adorned woman sighed, looking dejected. "Aw man. I knew I should have gotten something to eat before we got here... 

"That aside, where is the rest of your group?" Katsuya asked, adjusting his glasses. "We had Eikichi make something special for you all." 

The musician nodded, before resting the briefcase on one of the tables, and opening it up to reveal replicas of their Phantom Thief attire. "I didn't get any measurements, so I had to play 20 Questions with Maya about your general builds and kinda eyeball it. Still, I've had to design costumes for gigs, so this was a cinch!" 

Lisa chuckled. "I got the model some of them. You know, some of these are pretty promiscuous. Not like I'm judging or anything but..." 

Ann blushed, covering her face. "Please don't tell me we'll be wearing these in public... if someone recognized me, I think I'd die!" 

Maya shrugged. "Hey, let's think positive! They managed to conceal your identities for that big broadcast, and anyways, the less people know that a bunch of teenagers are Persona-users, the better. Plus, it'll basically confirm that the Phantom Thieves are real." 

"What about you all?" Haru asked. "Will your identities be concealed as well?" 

Katsuya shook his head. "I'm not as touchy about my powers. Besides, you're the ones with bright futures ahead. I'm more set on making sure none of your opportunities are affected, than me getting a few confused cell-phone calls. But, just in case, we asked for a few generic masks to cover our own faces." The other adults nodded in unison, except for Chie. 

"Personally, I'd rather not get caught with freaky powers, but hey, nobody really knows me around here, so it's no biggie!" 

"Anyways..." Eikichi continued, "I made seven costumes, eight if we count the little outfit for the cat. I only see four of you, though. Where are the others?" 

"Well, that's the issue. Our leader has been... kidnapped." Ann explained, bluntly. Quiet settled over the adults once again, before Katsuya finally spoke up. 

"That's horrible. Have you contacted the authorities?" He paused, before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Forget I asked that. I'm assuming this is a Thieves related matter." 

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah! That's why ya'll gotta train us! So we can run over, kick some ass, and then save Ren!" 

Maya grinned, nodding. "That sounds like an honorable cause to me. So, are the others busy coming up with a game plan?" Ann nodded in response, Maya continued. "Alright then, I guess this small group can start training. Get changed, and then we'll head to the park." 

Haru pursed her lips. "The park? Won't people be staring? It will be fairly busy, it is summer after all." 

Maya winked. "That's the point. People will be staring at the Phantom Thieves officially training up their powers! First of all, kinda selfish, but I'd get to write the story of the century- from an imaginary outsider perspective, of course. No way I'm snitching on you kids. But, also, it'll restore some faith in your existence! People have been wondering where the Thieves went!" 

The kids looked at each other, before sighing. "As long as our real identities don't get revealed, right?" Ann asked her friends. They all nodded. "Besides, this is for Ren! While we've got Mona, Futaba, and Makoto for the brains, we're going to need to be the brawn! Let's do this!" 

~~ 

The interrogation was put on hold for the moment, as the small group of Shadow Operatives regrouped, each one with varying reactions. 

"Seriously Mitsuru, threats?! He's a kid, you can't do that!" Yukari practically screamed as soon as the older woman entered. 

Mitsuru winced. "Please watch your tone, Takeba. And yes, I used threats- and yes, I can do that. The evidence being that I just did." 

Akihiko sighed. "I gotta agree with Yukari here. Why are we going all commando on some kid? I get he might be strong- Yukari confirmed that he has a Persona- but this is brand new." 

"Well, Sanada. Look at the evidence." Mitsuru paced, an irritated look on her face. "He slips out of probation, jail, any sort of long-term capital punishment, all at convenient times. He was taken into an interrogation, and then with a dead guard and an inside person on the police force, he manages to fake his own death just long enough to set up his plans. His age doesn't mean he is to be underestimated." 

Yukari opened her mouth to interrupt, Mitsuru quickly shut her down. 

"May I remind all of you that he has the ability to change the hearts and minds of people without their knowledge or consent? May I remind all of you that he summoned a Persona that dwarfed the size of the Avatar of Nyx we combated, and managed to destroy a godlike Shadow with one blow? Or that he has several other teammates with similar powers?" She swiveled on her heels, glaring at all of them. "May. I. Remind. You-- That this boy- this 'child'- has abilities that we can neither perceive or comprehend, and his casual demeanor during this situation implies that we may be the ones in legitimate danger?" 

The three other members glanced down at the ground, frowning. "Mitsuru, there has to be some other way. If we just let him go--" 

She shook her head. "There it is again. The constant pestering to let him go. How do you know that he hasn't changed your mind so that you feel inclined to push that statement?" 

Akihiko was at a loss, she simply huffed and leaned her back against the glass, folding her arms. "A new game is afoot, and this time, I'm not losing." 

He raised a brow. "What do you mean?" He asked, before the laptop off in the corner of the room went off. "...Looks like you had a response from their Fansite." 

Mitsuru walked over, before opening the message. "Aigis, keep our signal blocked. Make it so we're impossible to triangulate." 

The blonde stared for a moment, before nodding slowly. "...Yes, Mitsuru-sempai." 

They opened the message. 

\-- 

'I am Alibaba of the Phantom Thieves. Let our leader go, or prepare to face our own set of consequences. We do not wish to use force, and will be content with the peaceful return of Joker.' 

\-- 

"Joker? I guess that's their leaders codename? I kind of like it." Akihiko commented, as he read over Mitsuru's shoulder. She frowned. 

"I will continue these negotiations myself. I'll be in my office." She picked up the laptop, shutting it and holding it under her arm. 

"Wait, why not us? What makes you think you're obligated to do this yourself?" Yukari asked, grimacing. "We're a team, we're supposed to handle things together. Especially with something as big as this." 

"Yukari. You need to understand that I do trust you, but I don't trust the mysterious scope of his abilities. They could range from him being able to affect one person at a time, to him being able to twist the entire city of Tokyo to his will. You read the reports, yes? During his dramatic bout, he managed to turn the entire city to his side in order to garner enough power to summon a massive Persona. Whether that was a result of his 'heart-changing' is unknown, but I only know that I can only fully trust myself at the moment." She sighed, eyes downcast. 

"That's insane! Mitsuru, come on, there's no reason to-" Yukari's words fell on deaf ears as the other woman exited the room, leaving the others to mull on what just happened. 

"...I'll talk to her. I'll give her a few moments to calm down, and then I'll talk to her." Akihiko offered. "She's right that we're dealing with someone out of our control, but we just need to switch up our methods." 

"The Phantom Thieves are an unallied, potentially terrorist organization. Amamiya Ren has been proven innocent, but perhaps there is some merit to her claims that he may just be puppeteering us..." Aigis noted. 

Yukari shook her head. "I have the feeling that he's not like that. He may not be orthodox, but neither are we. I mean, don't you get the weirdest sense of déjà vu from him?" She gestured to their captive behind the glass, before noticing something in the corner of her eye. She turned to look at him, watching as a form slowly rose out from behind him. Demonic, with flames of blue, red, and grey flickering around it. It was large, hulking, seemingly cramped in the small space he had. The boy stood up, the braces holding his wrists snapping in two with a yell. The flames whipped around the boy's face, before finally forming a mask, and the Shadow Operatives were stared down by two, piercing red eyes. 

"What the hell...?" Yukari gasped. 

"If a Persona is the manifestation of the users personality, and his takes on such a demonic, intimidating form, then it may come to be that we are finally seeing a glimpse of his true nature." Aigis reasoned, aiming her guns towards Ren. 

"Still think he's innocent?" Akihiko muttered. "There's somethin' seriously wrong with that kid, no matter the circumstances." 

"We should have been paying closer attention! What did we miss?" Yukari yelled. They watched, catching the final part of his declaration. 

"...I'll make this count then. Come, Satanael! Maeigaon!" Three flame-like blasts bursted forth, banging against the glass as a crack began to split across. The thief clutched his head, leaning against the table for a moment. 

"Stop him before he attacks again!" Aigis commanded, as Akihiko grit his teeth, his own Persona manifesting within the confines of the interrogation room. 

The regal form of Caesar stared down the demonic Persona, as the boxer through his fist forwards. "Caesar! Ziodyne!" Electricity shot through the room, as the boy braced himself, and it seemed as if the attack was simply shrugged off. 

Aigis stepped forwards, her own glistening Persona. "Helel! Morning Star!" A bright light covered the entire room, before it faded, leaving the student practically smouldering in the middle. 

"...We need stronger restraints. Then again, we should have expected so from the Leader of the Phantom Thieves. As freaky as that was, it was actually kind of impressive." Akihiko shrugged, before heading out. He looked back one last time. "Let's keep a closer eye on him. If he tries that again, just uh, do your thing Aigis." 

Aigis nodded, before glancing downwards. "His Persona…" 

Yukari shook herself back into reality, her ears still ringing and her eyes still flashing from Aigis' attack. "Huh? Wha?" 

"He claimed his Persona to be 'Satanael'. I was just noting how it seemed to be the direct opposite of our Leader's…" 

"...Yeah." She nodded, before holding her hand out towards Ren. "Recarm." She mumbled, as he slowly sat up surrounded by sparkling green light. As the light faded, he violently coughed, before gritting his teeth. 

~~ 

A few moments ago, Ren was given an opportunity he shouldn't have had. He was sitting, captive, before his vision darkened and a blue butterfly fluttered by. 

"...Lavenza?" 

_"You need to listen to me, my Trickster. I was told not to interfere by my Master, but you and your friends are in grave danger. If you do not leave this place, then the bonds you forged will fall to Ruin and be turned to dust…"_

He nodded, whispering. "So, what's the plan?" 

_"I will give you some power. It should be enough to summon your Persona, although not at full strength. You should be able to break your bondage, and then escape. At least, I hope… this is all I can do for you without upsetting my master..."_

"Any help is welcome. Lay it on me." He closed his eyes, before the butterfly circled around him before fading away. He felt suddenly energized, flexing fingers for a moment. The rest was practically automatic. 

He felt the form of Satanael rise out of him. The flames surrounding his body, both literal and mental chains shattering around him as he stood up with a sudden burst of energy. The flames crossed his face, his mask taking its rightful place once again. He pointed at the glass, smirking. "Thank you, Lavenza. I'll make this count then! Come, Satanael! Maeigaon!" 

As soon as he attacked, it didn't feel right. Then it hit him. He had the power, but he didn't have the experience or training. Lavenza must have assumed he'd be fine as long as he could summon Satanael. A massive headache struck him, as the Persona flickered, threatening to leave. He desperately clung on, like a kid trying to hang on to a balloon during a tornado. 

Then he saw it. Two glistening Personas appearing in front of him. The first, holding a globe, attacked with lightning. Satanael could take lightning. What Satanael couldn't take was the second attack, which left him feeling as if a nuke was dropped on top of him, as he felt himself slammed into the ground and utterly destroyed. His vision was filled with light, and then nothing. 

When he came to, he gasped for air, before shaking his head. "That… didn't go as planned. I'm sorry, Lavenza…" He whispered, before crashing back down on his back. 

One step forwards, two steps backwards, it seemed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I did chapter titles, I'd just title this one 'Whoops'.
> 
> Also, Chie is here! Our first Persona 4 cast member!
> 
> Also, am I the only one that dislikes how ATLUS portrays Akihiko as a dumb meathead nowadays? Like his character in P3 was that he was strong, handsome, smart, and just happened to be blunt and socially awkward.


	7. The Calling Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A high-pitched, distorted voice began speaking. _"You've really caused some trouble now, haven't you? This is Alibaba of the Phantom Thieves--"_
> 
> The other figure spoke up, in a lower, distorted tone. _"And I am Queen of the Phantom Thieves. You seem to be in good health, Leader... Kirijo Mitsuru, reigning head of the Kirijo Group. Corporate leader of arrogance, greed, and ignorance."_ 'Queen' began. _"You have committed the grave act of kidnapping our leader, threatening us, and provoking our ire. You claim to be acting in the face of justice, and see us as nothing more than terrorists, despite being the only one acting aggressively in this situation. So, I simply ask you this: What will you do once that 'justice' is stripped away?"_

"...Yeah, this ain't gonna work." Eikichi commented, as the four Thieves stood before the adults in their attire. "I don't know how ya'll managed to do this before, but those 'disguises' are about as effective as wearing a pair of Groucho Glasses."

Ann pouted. "I guess that makes sense... but we went through all the trouble of--" 

"Luckily, I'm smart and thought ahead." He pulled out a few containers of hair dye. "I was mainly worried about the blonde one, anyone with two eyes and half a brain could see her in that getup, and then instantly recognize her on the subway. But, if you all changed up your style a little bit- well, then people'll have a bit more of a struggle." 

"So what? We dye our hair, train, go back, change our hair back to normal, and then repeat? That's way too much effin' work!" Ryuji protested, shaking his head. 

"I dunno. This lazy bum did it every day in high school." Lisa shrugged. "You'll just have to get up a bit earlier, but I think one less hour of sleep is worth it not to be constantly pestered for the rest of your life." 

Haru nodded. "...That is true. If I was recognized as a Phantom Thief, that could cause a ton of problems for Okumura Foods." 

"...Yeah, but it's different for me! I already dye my hair, that means I got double the work!" The boy folded his arms, scowling. "This is some bullshit!" 

"Just remove the dye from your hair." Yusuke said simply. "Black doesn't contrast with your current aesthetic. It may dull it slightly, but it doesn't add any extra effort on your part." 

"Ooh, I want to see Ryuji-kun with black hair!" Haru clapped. Ryuji blushed. 

"Ah, hell. Fine. Toss my the dye remover." He held out his hand, as Eikichi handed it over. 

The older man nodded. "This is strong stuff. Used this all the time when I was a kid- try not to get any on your skin. Believe me, health laws back then were a bit different than they are now." 

"Yikes...I'll see you all in a second." Ryuji wandered off into LeBlanc's single bathroom, leaving the others. 

"Maybe I could use pink and tie my hair into a ponytail? What do you think, Yusuke? You're the artsy one." Ann asked, as the artist shrugged. 

"I think pink would achieve the same aesthetic your natural hair color achieves. Perhaps even make it more disarming, which could be useful." 

"Do me next, Yusuke-kun!" Haru chirped, raising one hand. 

"You're a strange case. Your hair color seems incredibly integral to your aesthetic, and yet you need to change it. Perhaps black? While also fitting your name, it will make it stand out much less, prompting less people to find similarities between Noir and Haru." 

Ann put a hand on her hip. "What about you, Yusuke?" 

He smiled softly, glancing away. "I was considering white, or perhaps a grey color. I feel like it could suit my nature nicely." 

"...Wow, you kids definitely hopped on this with more enthusiasm than I expected. The dye is weak, temporary stuff. It might start fading if you sweat too hard, honestly. But, I got the colors. Do your thing, and then we can start trainin'. Got it?" 

Ryuji stepped out, his hair back to it's natural shade of black. 

"If it wasn't for the getup, you'd look sort of normal." Ann commented. 

"The hell d'you mean 'sort of'?!" He yelled back, as the girl giggled, taking up her own dye color and heading to the bathroom. 

Haru smiled. "I think you look very handsome, Ryuji-kun." 

Chie snorted. "Heh, you remind me of one of my friends. Just need a few more piercings." She looked at Maya. "Hey, you said we'd get some masks too, right?" 

Maya nodded. "They're basic, white, full-facial masks. Kind of like the Phantom of the Opera? Or... like that one American horror movie guy? Uh, Michael Myers! Or the Scream guy!" 

"Geez! That's so creepy!" She shuddered, before sighing. "I guess it'll keep us safe, though. Just... nobody look me directly in the face, alright?" 

Eventually, the entire group was ready, and found themselves in the center of Inkokashira Park. And, as expected, they were slowly finding more and more eyes focused on them. Ann sighed, glancing away. 

"God, I can practically sense all the perverts staring at me!" She squirmed, as Yusuke rubbed his chin. 

"Perhaps less so than usual. During your time off as Panther, your 'crepe weight' has become slightly more apparent." He noted, before being elbowed in the ribs. 

"Jerk!" 

"M...My apologies...I was simply-" He coughed, "I was not thinking...!" 

Maya chuckled, before turning to Lisa. "Guess that means we'll need some privacy, right?" 

The blonde nodded. "God, I can't get used to that faceless mask, but... sure." She dug her heels into the ground, focusing before a blue light surrounded her. "Come, Venus!" A shimmering blue form rose from behind Lisa, splaying her arms upwards into the air as if praising the sun. It was lithe, in an outfit reminiscent of an ice skater, several bubble-like formations covering it's wrists, shoulders, chest, and waist. It's head was encased in a shell-like helmet, as it slowly turned it's way towards the group, gesturing like an actress wishing for surprise. 

_"I am Venus, the eternal goddess of love. Thou has summoned I, and so thine will shall be exerted..."_

"Such beauty encapsulated in a Persona! I can't wait to see what feminine beauties are represented in it's skill set!" Yusuke gasped, before Lisa clenched her fists. 

"Mamagnadyne!" She screamed, as the Persona slammed it's fist into the ground with a roar, and the earth around them began erupting into the air, forming an arena-like formation around them." 

Haru frowned. "Won't this cause permanent damage to the park?" She asked. Lisa shook her head. 

"I can get rid of it when we're done. Don't worry. Now, let's get to training! We'll start with laps! Personas are built from the mind, but an extremely healthy mind comes from a healthy body, and while you don't need to be bodybuilders, you need to be in decent shape to keep up!" 

Chie was already bouncing on her toes. "Follow me! Let's get in three easy ones for now, and then we can really get it going!" They could all hear the smile behind her mask before she started jogging. 

Ryuji mumbled something about his leg, as Ann gave him a worried glance. 

"I can shrug it off. Don't worry, I'll just lag behind the rest of the pack for a bit. After all, we're doing this to save Ren, right?" He forced a smile, before stretching, and the teens began running to catch up with Chie. 

Maya nudged Katsuya with a chuckle. "This makes me feel a little nostalgic." 

"How? This is the first time we've done this." 

She shook her head. "Not like this, but in general. The whole Persona thing. It's been years, and here we are. Training the next generation. ...Do you think we'd be good parents?" 

She could practically hear his heart stop. "...Let's see how well we handle these kids first, and then we can discuss... that." 

She smiled, before clinking the lips of her mask against his, making a smooching noise with her lips. "Sweet. Now, let's practice for the upcoming whoopass session!" 

~~ 

Futaba typed furiously at the computer. It seemed as if negotiations were at a total standstill. 

\-- 

**Alibaba** : We can not, and will not reveal our identities to the public or to you. This is non-negotiable. Our leader has been cleared of all legal charges, and you have no right to hold him either. 

\-- 

"How's finding their location going?" Mishima asked, checking over Futaba's shoulder. 

Her entire demeanor had switched, a dead-serious expression at her face as she effortlessly switched between messaging on Mishima's phone and deftly typing on her laptop. "It's going fine, I guess. I hate to admit it, but these people have some pretty good blockers set up." 

"And their demands are unreasonable as well. They're holding an innocent man hostage, they can't possibly think that they're in the right, can they? Just- read this: 'The idea of defying us is useless. We currently hold all of the cards, and you've only just arrived at the table. Our position will not change, and if yours will not either, then your leader will simply have to suffer for your insolence. You have one week to comply, before we are forced to take action.' That's insane!" 

"One week? That's barely any time to prepare, right?" Mishima asked, sighing. "What are you guys going to do?" 

"Tell him something uplifting and cool to hide the fact that we're basically floundering right now..." Morgana commented. 

"Ask for their name." Futaba muttered. "I may be able to search for a backdoor if I can find some association with a location and a name." Mishima perked up. 

"I can do that! To make forum posts, you need to input your given and surname, and your email! I can access it as an admin!" 

Makoto smiled, handing him the phone. "Not bad." 

Futaba smirked. "For a Phanboy." 

His eyes widened. "Is that my codename? Am I an official member of the Phantom Theives?" He was practically vibrating on the bed, as Morgana let out an annoyed whimper. 

"Just tell him yes so he calms down... I can barely sleep with all his screaming..." He yawned, covering his ears with his paws. 

"Ah... well, if you want to be, then yes? I suppose you have helped us on several occasions." Makoto replied, as he practically fell out of the bed in shock. "N-now, can you just do your administrator thing and get that jerks name? Please? Although, would they really be ridiculous enough to put their real name on-" 

"Got it!" Mishima held up the phone triumphantly. "Kirijo Mitsuru. Although, I think I've heard that name before..." 

"The Kirijo Group. It's literally one of the biggest companies imaginable. Which also explains why it's such a bitch to hack- most hackers would only make it halfway through and then find their way forcefully expelled with all of their data wiped." Futaba explained, pushing up her glasses, eyes not leaving her screen. 

"So, you're saying it's practically useless, right Futaba?" Morgana groaned, curling into a ball. 

"We're not trying to hack into the company itself, so no. But now... we have a ping for a location. The Kirijo Group has a building in Tokyo- and with that, finding the one who's sending the messages should be a cinch. Actually, now I get to focus on something else! Send out a message to the other Thieves, I've got a plan!" She smirked, her typing speeding up. 

"Uh, Futaba? What exactly is your 'new focus'?" Makoto asked, worriedly. 

She turned around with a grin. "It's their lucky day. They're getting a personalized Futaba Cannon!" 

~~ 

Mitsuru practically sprinted back down to the interrogation room, frantically opening the door before pausing at the sight before her. Ren was even more chained down than before, the most mobility he had being his neck and potentially his shoulders. Yukari, Aigis, and Akihiko were all holding various types of ropes and chains. "...What exactly happened in here?" 

Akihiko clipped another lock on. "He escaped. So we, uh, put on some more countermeasures. How long are we planning on holding him?" 

"I gave them a week- but that's not the point! I've gotten direct contact from the Phantom Thieves, and they've sent me a file. The message attached said to 'not open without Leader present', so I decided to give them this one request." She opened up her laptop, clicked the file, and two shadowy figures appeared on screen, accompanied with music. 

A high-pitched, distorted voice began speaking. _"You've really caused some trouble now, haven't you? This is Alibaba of the Phantom Thieves--_

The other figure spoke up, in a lower, distorted tone. _"And I am Queen of the Phantom Thieves. You seem to be in good health, Leader._

Ren raised an eyebrow, as the higher voice cackled. _"I mean, outside of looking like the worlds worst Houdini act, but whatever. Here's the big reveal! This is live, and we can see all your beautiful faces! But, just because it's live doesn't mean you should try tracking us down. I have burner laptops for this stuff, and we're totally using Big Bang Burger wifi!"_

"What the hell? How do you think they found us?" Akihiko grimaced, nervously flexing his fingers. 

"I told you all this was a bad idea!" Yukari yelled. 

A picture of Mitsuru appeared on-screen, accompanied by crudely-edited devil horns, and a cat-like avatar chewing at her face. _"Kirijo Mitsuru, reigning head of the Kirijo Group. Corporate leader of arrogance, greed, and ignorance."_ 'Queen' began. _"You have committed the grave act of kidnapping our leader, threatening us, and provoking our ire. You claim to be acting in the face of justice, and see us as nothing more than terrorists, despite being the only one acting aggressively in this situation. So, I simply ask you this: What will you do once that 'justice' is stripped away?"_

_"Queen, Queen, maybe we should let the others have an opinion, right?"_ A text box appeared on screen, as several other users began posting messages. 

\-- 

**Skull:** oi, these are the people that kidnapped our leader? they don't look so tough. 

**Panther:** I suppose they thought they could get away with it didn't they? That's what always happens... 

**Fox:** So, our next target is the Kirijo Group? I'd say that's a set-up for quite the performance. 

**Noir:** You have made a grave mistake in angering the Phantom Thieves. Your justice, your false sense of morality, we will crush it in our hands, and you will have nothing left but your regrets and anguish. Prepare yourselves. 

**Skull:** Joker! hang on tight! we're gettin stronger by the second, and we'll be there soon with an entire can of whoopass! 

\-- 

Ren smirked, as the Shadow Operatives glanced between each other. Aigis frowned. "This current dialogue makes us seem like we have become the 'villains' in this situation." 

"They're simply twisting our words and intentions!" Mitsuru snapped. "We're not going to break down just because they're threatening us!" 

_"Ooh, feisty!"_ Alibaba chuckled. _"Well, go on Queen, tell them what these lucky people have won!"_

_"Gladly, Alibaba. You had given us one weeks time to discuss and comply with your ideals, we have decided to flip that pressure right back onto you. You have one week before we stage our assault on the Kirijo Group. You all have hearts that need to be changed, and before you realize it, we will be out the doors with our leader and your Treasure!"_

The message finished, leaving a picture of the Phantom Thieves logo with the caption: **TAKE YOUR HEART.**

"...Did we just get a calling card?" Yukari asked. "You know, those things that get sent literal days before someone goes through a drastic personality change?" 

"Yup." Ren responded calmly. 

"Alright, kid. You gotta tell us your methods, and then we can arrange some sort of peace thing. Your friends will listen to reason, right?" Akihiko asked, folding his arms. Mitsuru shook her head. 

"No. We have one week to prepare, as they said. I will not back down to paltry threats." She turned around. "We have connections. We'll call in the reserve members of the Shadow Operatives, and I'll need you all the contact the Persona-users of Inaba. Tell them to regroup, cover any sort of base possible. Sniff out the Thieves before they can reach us, or simply ensure that they don't even get close to 'Joker'." She commanded, before storming out. 

Yukari buried her face in her hands. "This is insane, Mitsuru's actually gone insane!" 

Aigis shook her head. "The pressure may be getting to her. I say we take actions in both directions. We attempt to contact the Phantom Thieves once more, and we prepare backup. Their leader is powerful enough on his own, allegedly, and I counted six others. We may be dealing with a sizable threat." She followed Mitsuru out the room. 

"Akihiko, you're with me right?" 

"Mitsuru has to have some sort of plan. She always does. We... we just need to get a handle on what it is first, and then actually discuss it. You stay with 'Joker'." He left as well. 

Yukari stood next to Ren, shaking her head. "I am so sorry about this." 

He shrugged- as much as he could in his bindings. "I know." 

"Are we going to die?" 

"No. But they mean what they've said. I'm kind of curious to see how they pull it off." He commented, brow furrowing. 

Yukari shook her head. "Must be nice at least having some faith in your team. I'm starting to get worried..." She sighed, as the silence settled over the room, and she slumped against the wall. 

~~ 

"I can't believe I just threatened Pink Argus." Futaba whispered, shutting her laptop. 

"I can't believe you actually got that to work with Big Bang Burger wifi." Makoto commented, looking down at the street from the roof of the fast food restaurant. "...But who would have thought that Takeba was one of them?" 

"We're literally going to be fighting Featherman." Futaba sighed, covering her face. "We don't have a chance!" 

"Not with that attitude. Let's regroup, and then we can begin training with the others." Makoto said, before Futaba smashed the laptop against the ground. "Woah!" 

"I told you, it was a burner. I bought this for like, 10,000 yen. It's fine." 

"...Whatever you say. Well, let's get going!" 

~~ 

The training group sat in a circle in the middle of Lisa's arena, taking a break and staring at the recent 'calling card' they had just been a part of. 

"That was quite clever on Futaba-chan's part, allowing us to directly participate from our phones." Haru noted. 

Maya looked at Ann's phone over her shoulder. "Well, that was certainly a declaration. You realize this means that we're going to have to cram a lot of training into about a week?" 

Katsuya shook his head. "More like five days. Then I'm assuming that we'll need to dedicate the rest of our time to coming up with a plan of attack." 

Chie cleared her throat, before holding up her phone. "Uh, guys? I just got a text from Yu- my friend- saying to meet up at the Kirijo Group building in Tokyo ASAP. What do I do?" 

Yusuke chuckled. "I suppose this a stroke of luck then." 

Haru nodded. "You could be our 'person on the inside', Chie-san!" 

"Woah, like a double agent?" Chie smirked. "That'd actually be pretty cool! But... I can't lie to my friends, it wouldn't feel right." 

"Maybe you could try to get them to join our cause?" Lisa chimed in. "They'll be more inclined to listen to you, and it would increase our own chances of success." 

"I'll give it a shot! I guess this means I'm an official Phantom Thief? Do I get a codename?" 

"How about 'Wataah!'?" Ryuji suggested. 

"Maybe 'Kick Ass'?" Ann mumbled. 

"I'd go with something like Dragon, but..." Yusuke was cut off as Chie cheered. 

"Dragon! Dragon works! That's so cool!" 

"Well, if we're done with that, I think we can wrap up training for today!" Maya stood up, stretching. "We didn't get much in with summoning Personas, but maybe your stress from all that exercise might be a good impetus! That, and I wanted to wait until you all were here before we worked on that front." 

"Alright," Eikichi pushed himself up, grinning. "How about dinner on us? Seems only fair for working you that hard." 

"For real?!" Ryuji practically jumped up. "Well, let's go and get out of this getup so we can eat!" He yelled, 

Ann blinked, before following him. "Jeez, where'd that energy come from?" 

Katsuya chuckled. "Oh, man. Well, we just waged war on one of the most powerful companies in Japan. Are we sure this is a good idea?" 

Maya shrugged. "That's not our choice to make. These kids made their declaration, and they're choosing to stick by it. What we can do as mentors and adults is support them and hope they stay safe..." She sighed, smiling wistfully. "We can't let them down. Right?" 

He nodded. "We won't. Now, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know hair dye is generally more of a hassle but let's just play with the suspension of disbelief for a little bit
> 
> Current changes:  
> Skull: Black hair, no real changes.  
> Panther: Pink hair, styled into one pony tail instead of two twin tails.  
> Noir: Black hair, no drastic changes.  
> Fox: Cool Anime Boy White Hair.
> 
> Maya and the gangs masks look like this: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/4gEAAOSwj5BcJFn0/s-l640.jpg
> 
> Because I thought they were unsettling and just a fun contrast from the PT's more flashy designs. 
> 
> Also, a calling card! Finally! They might not have any real utility anymore but that doesn't mean they're not allowed to have fun with it.


	8. The Investigation Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naoto rubbed her chin. “I looked into his case. Apparently he was falsely accused of assault and sent to Tokyo on probation.”
> 
> Yu looked over at her. “Did you look into the Phantom Thieves as well?” She shook her head.
> 
> “I didn’t have to, the new ‘Detective Prince’ was doing it for me.” She said, poorly hiding the slight disgust in her voice. Kanji shrugged.
> 
> “She’s been bitter about it for a while.” He said.

**6 DAYS UNTIL THE DEADLINE**  
\--

Ren didn't like being alone with his thoughts. They scared him, made him actually feel alone. His eyelids felt heavy, as he yawned, before finding himself slumping forwards into sleep. 

Moments later, he found himself in the same, haunting prison cell. The door was locked once again, and the ball and chain reattached to his leg. Igor hummed to himself. 

"What an interesting development… you find yourself enslaved by fate once again. You had control on yourself once, and now…" The old man flipped a few cards on his table. His grin remained, but the look in his eyes… 

"My Trickster, I've failed you." Lavenza whispered. "It was foolish of me to give you such power without your preparation or consent. And now, your fate is even more sealed than before." 

That was morbid. Igor was cryptic, and Lavenza could be dramatic, but this was legitimately worrying. He looked around the Velvet Room again, before another form stepped inside. A woman, dressed in blue with long white hair. She was beautiful to Lavenzas adorable. "You're right, you were foolish to do so, and ended up putting your guest in greater danger than before." 

"I'm so sorry, Margaret…" The shorted attendant whispered, before another- louder woman strolled into view. 

"You needn't be so hard on her, dear sister. As they say, 'those who can't walk, crawl, and those who can't crawl, scream'. As he has not been screaming, I say he still has the desire to at least crawl." Another woman, in similar blue clothing, with a bob-style cut. She looked at Ren, bowing with a smile. "I am Elizabeth. It's an honor to meet the 'smoking hot bad boy' our younger sister spoke of." 

Lavenza turned bright red, covering her face with a book. "I never called you that, Trickster! I promise!" 

Ren raised an eyebrow. "These are your sisters?" 

"Yes," the mature one replied. "I am Margaret. We have all been called to the Velvet Room due to a sudden change in circumstance." 

"You have a very depressing Velvet Room." Elizabeth chimed in, "Although I assume it changes based on the guest present. Although, I heard Belladonna was here. I haven't seen her in eons! The painter either!" 

"Tokyo was the epicenter of Yaldabaoth's attack, and will soon be the epicenter of something much worse if you do not act." 

He paused, as the layout of the Velvet Room began to shift, expanding into a room more reminiscent of a living room, although the cells still adorned the walls. A grand piano with a player and an opera singer appeared near the center. Another voice spoke from the cells. 

"You called, Igor? I mean, I didn’t expect the prisoner treatment…” She banged on the bars. 

Ren nodded. "Maya-san? Is that you?” 

“Ren! Are you okay, you’re not hurt are you?” 

“I’m fine, a bit shaken up. Why are you in a cell too?” 

"None are immune to fate, Mr. Amamiya. As these chains are a mark of your lack of rebellion, they become the same mark to the others visiting this room." Igor explained. "Now, we have two more guests arriving." 

Another voice spoke up, unfamiliar to the both of them, as the layout of the Velvet Room changed once again, more resembling a strange mix between a party bus and a prison bus. “I’m back in the Velvet Room? Why does it…” 

“Ah, Mr. Narukami. Welcome back.” 

A fourth voice spoke up. “Ah. The Velvet Room. Greetings, Igor.” 

Ren grimaced. That was the blonde girl that destroyed him with the Almighty skill. What was she doing here? 

“If I may ask,” She continued. “Why am I contained?” 

“Mister Amamiya, of course!” Elizabeth cheerfully added. 

He could practically hear the scowl on her face. “Ah. That answers everything then. The alleged criminal has turned the Velvet Room into a punishment for all involved.” 

Igor cleared his throat. “My duty here is not to clear up any misunderstandings, but to warn you all of the upcoming danger. Many of you serve as ‘Wild Cards’, unpredictable beings that take the powers of Persona and stretch them to new heights. You will need to work together, or perish together. My master-” 

“Wait-” ‘Narukami’ commented. “You have a master? I thought you were the Master of the Velvet Room?” 

“I am the Master of the Velvet Room, but there is one above me that is the master of Personas themselves.” Igor chuckled. “Now, listen carefully-” 

The Velvet Room shook violently, before the ‘lights’ around it dimmed. 

“Oh dear…” Margaret mumbled. Lavenza frowned. 

“This isn’t allowed, right? The Velvet Room is untouchable?” 

Elizabeth chuckled. “Well, apparently not. Oh, I wonder what will happen next!” 

The Velvet Room shook once more, before darkness began filling in, oozing from the bottom like a ship taking on water. Ren gasped. “Igor, what’s going on?” 

The old man sitting in the middle of the room was at a loss for words at the moment. “You all are in grave danger… I am sorry, but do not forget this conversation! When you all converge, remember each others voices and souls, if not, you will face ruin!” 

The darkness rose higher. 

“Well, it seems like that is your signal to leave. It was a pleasure meeting the rest of you.” Margaret commented, opening up her book. 

“Do not mourn us!” Elizabeth wailed, “For we won’t actually die, as soon as you leave the room, things should return to normal.” 

“Stay safe, my Trickster!” Lavenza cried, before he found himself back in the interrogation room, gasping for air. 

His head was pounding. He racked his brain trying to remember why but it was just… dark. “...It was probably nothing. I guess I just dozed off…” He mumbled. 

~~ 

“Maya-sempai, are you alright?” Yusuke asked, as the rest of the group stared at Maya with a myriad of worried expressions. Maya rubbed her head, chuckling, before slowly pushing herself up to her feet. 

“I’m fine… I think. I guess I just got dehydrated and passed out. What was I saying?” 

Ryuji raised his hand. “You were sayin’ that the power of Persona comes with focus and an understandin’ of one’s self. We kinda got that second part, though, that’s why we got Personas in the first place.” 

Makoto nodded, joining the group in her own Phantom Thief attire. Much like the others, her hair had gone through a similar dye job, turning her hair an icy blue. There was some protest, mainly about how her sister would be upset, but she eventually caved in. “Exactly, but we need to be able to hone that same understanding in the real world, correct? We’re only thinking of Personas as ‘special powers’...” 

“But we need to truly accept them as extensions of ourselves! That’s… really cool!” Futaba finished. Unlike the others, she had decided to don a Pink Argus mask underneath her goggles. ‘It’s to send a message’ she claimed. 

“Exactly. So, when you want to summon your Persona, don’t think about it as if you’re activating your cool powers. Think about it like you’re… projecting yourself forth.” Maya explained, before rubbing her head. “I don’t know if that makes total sense.” 

Ann raised her hand. “I’m willing to give it a shot!” She closed her eyes, before focusing. “Okay… another me... “ 

_”You’re attempting to make a contract with me so carelessly?_ A voice shot in her mind. _”Tell me your reasoning...._

Ann gripped her head. “My… what?” 

Ryuji stared at her. “Uh, Panther? You alright? You’re lookin’ a little worse for wear.” 

She coughed, slowly trying to stand up straight. “I’m… doing this to save Ren! He needs me!” 

_”You? You’re a little girl who was given a taste of power, and now doesn’t know how to live without it. You’ve never taken anything seriously in your life unless it directly impacts you. So why should I feel so inclined--”_

Ann stomped her foot. “Quiet! You weren’t this judgemental when you came to me before!” The rest of the Thieves stared, trying to get a read on the situation. 

_”You needed me before. Now you just want me, and you of all people should know I don’t follow the petty ‘wants’ of others.”_ Ann winced one more time before being hit by deafening silence. She dropped down to her knees, as the other surrounded her. 

“No success?” Haru asked, helping her up. 

She shook her head. “...No can do. Anybody else want to give it a try?” 

~~ 

“Dude, you are a lifesaver! I swear, every time you come around, it’s like my luck turns for the better!” Hanamura Yosuke cheered, slapping Narukami Yu on the shoulders as they approached the Kirijo building. 

Yu laughed, shaking his head. “All you did was get an extra soda from the vending machine. Besides, don’t you own your own Junes store? It’s not like you’re flat broke.” 

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to pay for two colas, and you come out of the blue and all the sudden the machine shits out another one! Although there was that weird thing where you conked out for a few seconds.” 

“Maybe my luck came back to haunt me.” 

“Don’t joke about that, man! I ne~ed you!” 

A hooded girl approached them, scoffing. “God, Yosuke. You’re so clingy, it’s not even funny.” 

Yosuke gasped in mock surprise, pointing at the woman. “Woah, Yu, look! Is that the real Risette? Right there?” 

She looked around quickly, before pulling her hood even further over her face. “Shut up! Do you know how hard it was to get through the city without being recognized? Let’s just go inside and get this over with? Oh, and it’s nice to see you at least, Yu.” Rise turned around with a huff, before heading in. 

“I missed her.” Yu muttered. 

“Eh.” Yosuke sagely replied. 

The three of them walked inside, before seeing a few more friendly faces. A girl in a green jumpsuit, bouncing on her heels. “Oi, Yosuke, is that you?” 

“Chie! Why are you acting like that, I literally saw you last week.” Yosuke quipped, before getting caught up in a hug, which quickly turned into a suplex, before she twisted Yosuke to the ground, pinning him down. 

“I was trying to make it a dramatic moment! Idiot!” She screamed, as Yosuke slammed his hands against the ground, trying every version of ‘I surrender’ possible. 

A dark-haired woman in a red dress chuckled. “But Chie… heh… what’s the point of making it a moment when you see each other all the time?” She snorted, before covering her mouth, trying to suppress her giggles. “I’m sor-- I’m sorry! I just- hehe! It do-doesn't make sense!” 

Chie rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing even funny about the situation!” She yelled, climbing off of Yosuke. 

Two more footsteps entered the building. A tall, muscular man with dark hair and piercings, and a shorter woman with a blue cap, with blue hair reaching past her neck. 

The tall man chuckled. “Told ya, Naoto. We just follow the laughin’ and it’ll take us to everyone else.” 

Naoto smiled, shaking her head. “You were correct. I assumed that they would at least wait until everyone arrived until the antics started. I owe you 100 yen.” 

Yu smiled, waving them over. “Nice. It’s good to see you all too.” The two of them stepped over, as the reformed Investigation Team exchanged greetings and hugs. “Well, I assume that’s everybody--” 

“YOSUKE!” A voice screeched, as even the employees in the lobby floor of the Kirijo Building practically snapped their necks along with the Investigation Team to look at the figure bursting through the door. 

A bear-costumed person stumbled inside, before tripping and rolling over to the team. “You almost forgot about me at the station! It’s almost as if you left me bear-hind…” 

Yosuke chuckled nervously. “No way, Ted…! Ahah! Isn’t that right, Yu?” 

“I just didn’t see you.” The white-haired man replied, lamely. 

Teddie huffed, standing up. “That aside, look at you all! You all look so mature! I mean, Chie-chan looks about the same, but Kanji-kun doesn’t look like a creep!” 

Kanji’s eyes narrowed. “...Nice to see you too, Teddie.” 

“...And look, Nao-chan has finally decided to stop binding up that pretty chest of hers!” Teddie giggled, before the detective glared at him. 

“I can draw my gun much faster than you can run.” 

“Noted! My humblest apologies… ehehe… Anyways, what’s all the hubbub? We were invited here? For what, a party! I’ve been working on my dance moves!” 

Rise shook her head. “No, apparently this is serious business. Oh, speaking of…” She trailed off, as Aigis approached them all. 

“I am very glad you could make it. Please come with me, I’ll debrief you on the current situation.” 

Naoto shook her head. “No need. From the messages we’ve received, I have a fairly good idea. You’ve attempted to make contact with the Phantom Thieves. In doing so, you’ve accidentally found a way to anger them, and have now called us as a line of defense in the case of their inevitable assault.” 

Aigis stared. “...So, I will not need to debrief you on the situation.” 

Kanji scratched his head. “So, uh, the Phantom Thieves, huh? Aren’t those guys a bunch of nutjobs that change people’s hearts and minds?” 

“They’re not nutjobs!” Chie snapped. The group stared at her. “I-I just think we need to be a bit more understanding? Ehehe…” 

Yukiko nodded. “Chie is correct. Judging them without knowing them would be a bit irresponsible on our part. We should at least talk with them first, correct?” 

Aigis nodded. “Then I’ll take you to their leader.” She turned around, walking away from the group, which quickly began trailing behind her. 

~~ 

Yosuke stared at the kid behind the glass. “That’s the leader? He literally worked part-time at Junes. The worst thing he did was arrange the soup cans in the shape of a penis once.” 

Yukiko nodded. “The Amamiya Family, correct? They always seemed a bit high-strung. Perhaps this was his way of rebelling..” 

Aigis tilted her head slightly. “You all seem overwhelmingly familiar with Amamiya Ren.” 

“It’s Inaba.” Yosuke chuckled. “I’d be more concerned if we didn’t know him.” 

Naoto rubbed her chin. “I looked into his case. Apparently he was falsely accused of assault and sent to Tokyo on probation.” 

Yu looked over at her. “Did you look into the Phantom Thieves as well?” She shook her head. 

“I didn’t have to, the new ‘Detective Prince’ was doing it for me.” She said, poorly hiding the slight disgust in her voice. Kanji shrugged. “She’s been bitter about it for a while.” He said. 

“I’m not bitter! I’m just… irked at the fact that I was tossed away like yesterday’s news as soon as the latest pretty boy showed up. I have my doubts about him by the way, especially the way he just seemed to up and vanish after Shido was convicted. And yet nobody seems to notice! They’re all simply either mourning him online, or heralding him like he’s some sort of hero! No critical thinking, just 'Ooh, Akechi-chan, he's so hot, I'm going to blindly listen to his theories despite them being flimsy at best'! It’s--” 

Kanji rubbed Naoto’s back, sighing. “There, there. C’mon, deep breaths.” 

“My apologies… I just have a lot of opinions about Akechi-san.” 

Yukiko leaned against the glass, tapping on it. “He looks worried. Is he alright?” 

“He is fine.” Aigis said. “But we need to figure out a plan of action. Akihiko has already set up a conference room for us. Follow.” 

“You know, I’m not a huge fan of being carted around like this…” Yosuke muttered. 

~~ 

Mitsuru thumbed her way through the files on hand, before hearing a knock at the office door. She picked up her sunglasses, sliding them back on. "Come in." 

Yukari entered, brow set. "I've decided to confront you myself. Everyone's been tiptoeing around you, but we're friends, Mitsuru. And I'm worried." 

Mitsuru didn't look up from the files. "You're not keeping an eye on Amamiya." 

"I don't care about Amamiya! He's a kid, and if the actual files say anything, a pretty damn good one." She slammed a hand on Mitsuru's desk. "Top of his class, a freaking letter of recommendation from his homeroom teacher, community service with a councilman, and there's more. Ever since he arrived in Tokyo, he's done nothing but help, Mitsuru. The worst that's happened is that he showed up to school late on his first day." 

"And proceeded to engage in activities that resulted in drastic social reform right under our noses." 

"Right… but…" 

Mitsuru took Yukari's hand, staring her down. "Can I be honest with you?" 

The actress seemed taken aback. "Yes! That's all we want!" 

The red-haired woman sighed, glancing away. "I'm terrified. I've felt out of control before, but this is an entirely new feeling. I feel as if I can lose everything that I love in the blink of an eye if we don't get some sort of handle or reign on these Thieves." 

"Which won't work. They're rebels. We can't hold them down." 

"I… I know. And I feel horrible. I mean, I just put you all in danger with my recklessness and arrogance, and now we're preparing for a... showdown? Like we're a bunch of children. I was acting like a child." 

Yukari's expression softened, as she bit her lip. "Geez, Mitsuru. We all act different when we're upset, or scared or something. Here's the thing, the Phantom Thieves only steal the hearts of the corrupt, right? We're not corrupt. We made mistakes, and we have a week to rectify them. When they come for their leader, we'll explain everything." 

"Do you think they'll listen?" Mitsuru asked. "I mean, perhaps I do need my heart changed. Maybe, if you all leave Tokyo, I can take on the burden myself." 

"No way! Listen, you hold tight. We'll handle this together. You have SEES and the Shadow Operatives on your side. We're a team. Always have been." 

Mitsuru stood up, taking a deep breath. "I… needed that. Thank you." 

Yukari looked somewhat surprised, before chuckling. "Seriously? Well, don't worry about it." She turned around, before exiting the room. "I'll keep watch on Amamiya, and you think of a game plan to defuse this whole thing for real! We'll meet up as a team later!" 

Mitsuru waited until the door closed, before sitting back down, folding her hands across the desk. She removed her sunglasses, slitted pupils darting around the room, before a deep chuckle emanated from her form. 

"What blind trust… Another one of the follies of man, I suppose. He has a point, however. It’s useful, just… not for the reasons you’d expect. You have quite the team, Kirijo. Borrowing them has been quite the experience." She rumbled, leaning back with a sneer. Yellow eyes glinted in the darkness. "They’re like cattle. ‘Mitsuru-sempai knows what she’s doing’, how ridiculous. They’re idiots, but they’re necessary, I suppose. As long as I can get them all together, I can finally begin my coup de grâce.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the pieces start to fall into place! And Perspective Jumping is going to reach an all-time high for a bit... sorry.
> 
> The Investigation Team has arrived, the other three Velvet Attendants are present (even Elizabeth, despite her quest to save Door-kun), and there's officially something wrong with Mitsuru! 
> 
> Also, as honorable as Naoto is, I feel like she could easily pick up that Akechi might be a fraud. 
> 
> I sort of wanted to avoid the word 'ruin' with Igor, since that was Yaldabaoth's thing, but hearing it come from the real Igor just made the situation seem that much more dire.
> 
> (Also Kanji's hair is dark because he stopped bleaching it at the end of P4G)


	9. Summoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Put them on. They’re voice activated, so all you need to say is ‘Persona’.”
> 
> Teddie popped them on before giving his team a thumbs-up. “Okay! I hope I can ‘bear’ it! Wish my luck, team!”
> 
> Yu returned the thumbs-up. “We’ll mourn you, Teddie.”
> 
> “Gah! Sensei, don’t say things like that! I’m just summoning my Person- _AAAAAAH_!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Re-did the first part of the chapter, just because I felt a bit dissatisfied at how clunky it was, so I decided to streamline it and then elaborate more on it with personal scenes rather than trying to lump it into one thing.

**FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE DEADLINE**

\-- 

Maya folded her arms. “Okay, so there seemed to be a bit of trouble with you all yesterday. You said they all refused to make a contract?” She frowned, tilting her head to one side. “So, we might need to work at this from a different perspective. It seems like your ‘other selves’ don’t want to just be accepted for basic use. Which makes sense… would you all enjoy being used?” 

The Thieves collectively shook their heads. Maya adjusted her mask. “So, I’m going to try a new method. We’re going to try some high-stress training.” 

“What the hell, Maya-sempai!” Ryuji yelled, before a blast of ice sent him spiraling backwards. 

Katsuya clenched his fist, as Hypherion apperated over him. “If you’re scared, then you’ll have more reason to summon your Personas. Now, get ready to fight for your lives!” He threw out his hand, before a large wave of energy crossed the grass. “Fata Morgana!” 

A wave of Almighty energy slammed into the teenagers, before they all began to stumble around drunkenly, each one yelling louder than the last. Lisa grimaced. 

"Are we sure they'll be able to handle this? I mean, you told me the Persona game didn't fully work, are we sure this will?" 

Maya held a finger up to her lips. "I say wait and see. They're mature, and it seems like Persona Summoning has changed a bit. As long as they don't get hurt…" 

"Watch out!" Katsuya yelled, shoving Maya out of the way as a fireball shot towards them. The two of them looked over at Ann, who was fruitlessly clawing at her mask, before sending another fireball spiraling upwards. 

"...See? Progress?" Maya chuckled nervously. Katsuya shook his head, before a burst of nuclear fire struck him in the head. His glasses clattered to the side. 

"They're not controlling their Personas, they're falling victim to them! And that much chaotic action in one spot will end up with at least one of them getting severely hurt, or worse, killed!" 

Maya groaned, covering her face. "Ugh, you're right, this was a bad idea. Who has a skill that can end this?" 

Silence fell over the adults. 

"We suck." Eikichi muttered. 

"Actually, maybe not. Look." Lisa pointed towards the kids, as they all slowly started to get ahold of themselves, their wild movements and attacks coming to a close. Futaba was the first, her Persona bursting forth with the call of 'Prometheus!'. The rest just seemed to operate like clockwork, tendrils of light snaking free of the Persona and attaching to each and every one of the Thieves, causing them to each stand perfectly still, before one after another calling forth their own Persona. 

Each form that appeared in the sky attempted to be even brighter than the last, before fading away into nothing. Futaba fell onto her back, taking a deep breath. 

The Thieves slowly found their way back to reality, each of them blinking before looking up at their Personas littering the sky, and then to each other, sprinting at each other with tearful cries and hugs. Yusuke wandered over and helped Futaba up. They all collectively settled down from their group panic attack, after some slaps and pinches just to make sure everything was real, and they weren’t still stuck in their personal hellscapes. 

Ryuji turned to look at Maya. “Yo, what the hell was that?!” 

She shrugged. “I’d call that progress, but just from watching, it seemed incredibly painful. But now you can summon your Personas at will, correct? Don’t forget that feeling again, please, so we'll never have to do that again.” 

Katsuya picked up his glasses. "It seems like that display may garner some unwanted attention. We were already getting a few 'fans' from our arena, but this is major." 

Morgana nodded, trotting up to the group. “My superior senses left me unaffected, but I could already summon Mercurius so it wasn’t an issue.” He chuckled. “Still, watching Skull flounder around was funny. You were even crying a little bit!” 

Ryuji blushed, before rubbing at his eyes. “Ah, shit, really? That effin’ sucks. But… glad to see you’re okay, Ann.” He awkwardly patted Ann’s shoulder, before shoving his hands in his coat pockets. 

Ann nodded quickly. “Uh, yeah! You too, Ryuji." She asked, before slowly guiding him over to the adults. 

Morgana sat for a moment, before looking over at the others. “That was weird.” Futaba giggled, before kneeling down and scratching Morgana. 

“You’re weird, Mona.” 

~~ 

The Investigation Team stood in the middle of a small showroom, totally barren except for a small covered table in the center. 

“Uh-oh.” Naoto muttered, glancing at her phone. 

Kanji perked up, looking over at her. “What’s up?” 

“Well, I had always assumed that new mysterious stone structure had something to do with the Phantom Thieves, but look at this.” She held up her phone. “These were images taken moments ago at Inokashira Park.” 

Yosuke snatched the phone from her, staring at it. “Woah, are those Personas? That’s nuts! I’ve never seen anything like ‘em!” 

Yukiko giggled. “Look at the caption. ‘Phantom Thieves preparing a repeat of Christmas?’ And the comments are going nuts too! People are either really scared or really excited.” 

Chie looked at the pictures. “...I can’t believe it, they did it!” 

“Did what, Chie-chan?” Teddie asked, waddling over. She shoved him backwards. 

“Nothing! Idiot.” 

Yu gestured for the phone to be handed over to him, before staring at the picture. “So, they’ve already become familiar with summoning their Personas in the real world. That might be a bit of an issue if we need to fight. Can you keep us updated, Naoto?” 

The detective nodded. “Of course. I’ve been keeping a close eye for anything relating to the Phantom Thieves in the first place, and I’ve been doing plenty of research. When we get some actual free time, I’ll try and fill you all in.” 

“I’m sorry, but you won’t have much free time.” A voice called from the back of the room. The Investigation Team turned to look, with Teddie gasping dramatically. 

“Mit-chan! It’s been so long, and you’re looking as stunning as ever!” 

“No time for platitudes. I have something very important to show you all.” Mitsuru commented, as the other three Shadow Operatives followed behind. “As you know, we’ve come into contact with the Phantom Thieves.” 

“We’re aware.” Naoto said. “They’ve summoned their Personas in some grand display in the park. Do you think it’s a warning sign?” 

Mitsuru rubbed her chin. “Perhaps they’re doubling down on their threat.” She glanced back at Yukari, who put her hands on her hips. “...I’m just saying. It’s hard to think of a reasonable explanation for why they’d make a scene like that.” 

A voice called from the back, bursting in. “Sorry I’m late!” Iori Junpei sprinted to catch up with the group, grinning. “I got your call, Yuka-tan. Apparently this is ‘Big S.O Business’?” 

Yukari smiled. “I’m glad that you could come.” 

Mitsuru nodded. “Thanks for deciding to show up, Iori. Now, if I can get back to what I was saying--” 

“Sorry, sorry, my bad, is this some important reveal?” 

Mitsuru rubbed her temples. “ _Yes,_ Iori. Now, please don’t interrupt me again.” She strutted to the table in the center of the room, Aigis following close behind. “The fact that the Phantom Thieves have summoned their Personas just makes the timing for this presentation even more lucky. We’ve been establishing more potent Evoker technology. Aigis?” 

Aigis stepped up, folding her arms behind her back. “We have decided that simply pointing a gun at one's head could become inefficient in more intense Persona battles. If the Evoker was to be dropped, it would leave the self helpless. So, we simply modified the technology.” She pulled the cloth from over the table, revealing several sets of headphones. 

“In memory of our Leader, we have created these. They’re functionally similar to Evokers, in the case that they can summon Personas, but they’re much more socially innocuous, and they’re much harder to lose track of. Instead of a gunshot, they send an electric signal straight to the amygdala, forcing it to activate, and triggering the same fear response that the Evokers use, therefore allowing you to summon your Persona.” 

Teddie bounded forwards. “Ooh, lemme try! I wanna try!” He popped off the bear head of his costume, shaking out his blond hair. “I’ve always wanted to be a model~! Shall I take my shirt off?” 

Aigis shoved a pair of headphones into his hands. “Put them on. They’re voice activated, so all you need to say is ‘Persona’.” 

Teddie popped them on before giving his team a thumbs-up. “Okay! I hope I can ‘bear’ it! Wish my luck, team!” 

Yu returned the thumbs-up. “We’ll mourn you, Teddie.” 

“Gah! Sensei, don’t say things like that! I’m just summoning my Person- _AAAAAAH_!" Teddie gripped his head, shaking violently before tripping backwards in his suit as a flash of light emanating from him as the rainbow, blimp-like form Kamui-Moshiri appeared over Teddie. 

Aigis frowned. “Perhaps we need to lower the shock threshold.” 

Mitsuru shook her head. “That’s the only threshold that will guarantee summoning. Leave it as is. You’ll either adapt, or in this case, only need to summon it once.” 

Teddie hopped up, practically foaming at the mouth, snarling. 

Yosuke blinked. “Teddie, you okay?” 

Teddie opened his mouth to speak, before Mitsuru casually slapped him across the face. Teddie blinked, seemingly returning to normal. “Woah, what an un-bear-lievable feeling! And look! There’s my Per- my ability!” He slowly took off the headphones, chuckling. “Well, they work!” 

Akihiko chuckled. “Nice work. All the pairs look the same, so just grab one and get acquainted to them for a moment. I’d say this little session is adjourned, yeah?” 

Mitsuru nodded. “Yes. We need to be prepared, so just make sure you know how to use them effectively. I expect great things from you. If you need to contact me, I’ll be in my office.” And with that, she left the room. Aigis made her leave as well, and the rest of the Investigation Team split apart into small groups. 

Naoto flagged over Chie, Junpei, and Yukari. 

“I got your message.” The detective said. “You wanted me to look into Mitsuru?” Naoto glanced at Yukari. She nodded. 

“What’s got you so spooked, Yuka-tan?” Junpei asked. 

Yukari sighed, looking around. “Mitsuru’s been weird… when I confronted her, she just said it was nerves, but I still think there’s more. The others have faith in her, and I want to as well, but… I don’t know, can you just check up on her? Without her knowing? I knew I could trust Junpei to keep this under wraps as well.” 

“Woah… that’s really nice.” 

She shrugged. “We’re friends, after all.” 

Chie chuckled nervously. “Um, why did you call me over here, Naoto? This doesn’t seem like my business…” 

The detective quirked an eyebrow. “Well, you’re obviously hiding something regarding the Phantom Thieves, and I wanted to ask you what it was.” 

Chie’s eyes widened. “What? No. Nononono. Phantom Thieves, who are they? Oh, you mean those guys? Never seen ‘em- I mean heard of them- I mean-” 

Naoto frowned. “If you know something about them, just tell me. Any information about the Thieves could be useful.” 

Chie sighed, shaking her head. “Just forget about it, Naoto. I’m not hiding anything, I… I just think we should be more careful and not try and fight? They’re good people- at least, that’s what I’ve heard.” She turned around, walking off. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Naoto. I need to go and train with these headphones!” She picked up her pace to a jog, heading out. 

Yukari looked over at Naoto. “...You’re going to follow her, right?” 

“Absolutely.” 

~~ 

Chie practically sprinted to the subway station, taking the first one to Yongen-Jaya, and then sprinted to LeBlanc. She bursted through the doors, relieved to see the group recuperating from their training session. 

“Oh, Chie.” Lisa said, taking a sip of coffee. “What’s up?” 

“Sorry about barging in, Lisa-sensei, but look!” She held out the headphones. 

Sojiro started pouring another cup. “Headphones?” 

“Custom headphones.” Futaba corrected, only glancing up from her computer for a brief second. 

“No, no! This is brand new Persona summoning technology!” Chie shouted. “Pop these on, yell ‘Persona’ and then boom! There it is!” 

Ann sighed. "So Kirijo is hiring a group of Persona-users for protection. Great." 

"Perhaps we can out-bid her?" Haru suggested. 

Chie shook her head. "It's less 'hiring' and more of a favor. And besides, my team is just backup. Mitsuru has a Persona of her own." 

Ryuji grinned. “That aside though, are those headphones for real? That makes our job easier! Can you grab us all some?” 

Chie frowned. “...Sorry, there was only enough for my team. Although, I brought it here because you do tech-y stuff, right Futaba? Can you like, reverse engineer this?” She walked over to the orange-haired girl, placing the headphones next to her on the table. 

Futaba picked them up, looking around at them. “Maybe? I’m more of a hacker, but if I can find out what makes them tick, then I might be able to modify an already existing pair of headphones to do something similar. Give me a day or two.” 

“Won’t people notice that you’re missing yours?” Makoto asked, folding her arms. 

Chie shrugged, chuckling. “I’ll just say I dropped mine in a lake while running or something? Anyways, don’t worry about me. Just focus on saving your leader! Now, I gotta get back to my team, I promised to go shopping with Yukiko!” She exited the shop, before immediately freezing in her tracks. 

Naoto was leaning against the window of LeBlanc, before looking over at Chie with a smile. 

“So. Now is there anything you want to tell me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real notes for this one? Outside of the fact that I didn't give Rise any lines, so that's my bad and I apologize to all the 'Risette heads' out there.


	10. Teddie-phobic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren hated the Junes Bear. He hated it's voice, he hated the way it waddled around everywhere, and he definitely hated the way it followed girls around the department store every time it had some free time yelling something related to 'seeing what's under the costume'. So, the fact that it was trying to shove soba noodles down his throat while tied up was quite literally a nightmare.

As far as Naoto was concerned, Chie had plenty of great qualities. She was strong, passionate, driven, et cetera. However, lying was not one of her many qualities, and the detective simply watched with a curious expression on her face as the martial artist tried to think of some sort of excuse.

“I’m having an affair with the owner of this cafe.” Was what Chie had landed on. 

Naoto pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. “And that’s enough. Come clean, Chie. It won’t do us any good if you run around the issue like this.” 

“How much did you hear?” 

It took a great deal of effort not to roll her eyes. One of the worst questions you could ask when caught in any sort of incriminating conversation was ‘how much did you hear’. It puts all of the control into the asker, since they could utterly lie about the amount they heard and then be able to twist out a confession much easier. Which was exactly what Naoto was going to do. 

“I heard enough. I would like a more thorough explanation, so I can make an informed decision about my next course of action.” 

Chie frowned, before looking around, and taking a deep breath. “I’mworkingwiththePhantomThieves.” 

“You’re… what?” 

“Working with the… Phantom Thieves.” 

That was a much bigger reveal than what she was expecting. She had picked up on the fact that Chie had been hiding something regarding the thieves, but actively working with them was a new issue altogether. “Wow.” 

Chie’s eyes widened. “Wait, I thought you heard? You liar! You tricked me!” 

“You lied first.” 

“...True.” She rubbed her head. “Guess they’ll be kind of mad at me, but I guess the cats out of the bag at this point.” 

Naoto glanced over to the window of LeBlanc, where several pairs of eyes were staring at her through the blinds. She chuckled. “I'm assuming those are our Thieves? Fine then. Let's talk." Chie sighed, before opening the door for the two of them to enter LeBlanc. 

She managed to catch a couple hushed whispers before the cafe had gone silent. 

'Was that Shirogane Naoto?' 

'We are so freaking screwed!' 

'Chie knows her?' 

Naoto adjusted her hat, before folding her arms. "So, I hear you all are the Phantom Thieves?" 

One of them spoke up. A natural blonde, although there were still some stains of color in her hair, with the absolute worst poker face imaginable. "Who? Us? No~oo. We'd never do anything illegal like that? Never." 

Another blond teenager snorted. "Nice one, Ann. I'm sure the Detective Prince will fall for that." 

"She might have if you didn't say anything, Ryuji!" 

Naoto frowned. "I would not have. Now, I am Shirogane Naoto, part of the team that was sent to assist Kirijo Mitsuru. Which currently means we're standing at conflicting ideals. What's stopping me from heading back to the Kirijo building and revealing your identities to my current team?" 

They all seemed at a loss. Perhaps she had been too direct. She scanned the faces, recognizing them all as various witnesses and even victims in the Phantom Thief case. She hadn't formally investigated them- her 'successor' was in charge of that- but that didn't mean she wasn't allowed access to the case files. Takamaki Ann and Sakamoto Ryuji, both closely tied in the Kobayakawa and Kamoshida cases. Kitagawa Yusuke, pupil of Madarame. Niijima Makoto, younger sister of prosecutor Niijima Sae. Sakura Futaba, connected to Sakura Sojiro, who was the caretaker of Amamiya Ren. And... "Okumura? What would the Okumura heir be doing with the Phantom Thieves?" She mumbled to herself. 

Haru giggled nervously. "Well, you see, I had enlisted the help of the Phantom Thieves to change my fathers heart." She said. It was a fairly airtight alibi. Okumura didn't seem like the type to steal anything, and didn't seem to match the flamboyant, theatrical style of the Phantom Thieves. However, her proximity to the rest of the Thieves clearly meant she was more than just someone who enlisted their help. She was involved. But did that mean she was directly responsible for her father's murder? It wouldn't be too uncommon, the wealthy heir suddenly finding their way into more money and power, and being able to successfully throw off the authorities with some yen and some well-timed tears. Sure, Amamiya's confession had resulted in him vehemently denying that he and his team had any sort of influence in Okumura's death but... 

"...Earth to Naoto? Come in, Naoto." 

A hand waved in front of her face, she blinked. Chie chuckled. "That's the 'Detective Prince' for you. You were staring at Haru for like, two straight minutes." 

"Did I do something wrong?" The girl asked. 

"...Did you?" The detective responded back, vaguely. "Anyways, where was I?" 

Sakamoto leaned forwards. "You wanted us to state our case about why you shouldn't rat us out, and then you went all robotic on Haru." 

Kitagawa frowned. "We had worked with another Detective Prince before, it seems like we have bad luck with that." 

Another 'Detective Prince'? Did that mean Akechi Goro? Was Akechi affiliated with the Phantom Thieves? That would explain his constantly shifting, flimsy position on the matter. He was probably vehemently opposed to them until they had invited him into their ranks, in which he would need to severely backpedal as to not get himself in any issue with his new teammates or the authorities. He was potentially sabotaging one of the biggest cases of the year simply to avoid detection and blame towards himself and his new affiliates and-- 

She jumped as Chie snapped her fingers next to her ear. "Nao-to! You're doin' it again!" 

The blue-haired woman rubbed her temples. "Sorry, just processing the information I was given. You worked with Akechi?" 

"Ugh. 'Worked with' is generous." Futaba mumbled, not lifting her eyes from her computer. "The guy tried to string us along and rat us out, and then frame us for all of the bad mental shutdowns that occurred." 

Niijima scowled. "He... did give his life for us, though. As bad as he was, we simply can't forget that." 

Naoto's eyes widened. So, Akechi really was dead? He had been considered a 'missing person' for the longest time, nobody was able to find a body, but here was a genuine confession from the Phantom Thieves about him being dead. "...I see." 

"Anyways!" Ryuji yelled. "We're just tryin' to save our leader! You guys were the ones that took him in the first place!" 

Naoto folded her arms. "Amamiya Ren, correct?" 

Chie nodded. "Yeah. Weird kid. Yukiko and I used to babysit him when we were in middle school for some extra pocket change, so we'd be able to afford beef bowls at the end of the day. I never would have thought he'd get into anything like this, but hey- we've done some pretty crazy stuff too." 

"Phantom Thieves." Naoto began. "Is Amamiya Ren your leader, or your friend?" 

They stared for a moment. A cat in the corner of the room meowed something. "It's probably a pretty important question considering the Detective Prince asked it, Morgana!" Makoto hissed at it. Naoto didn't bother asking to clarify that situation. 

Ryuji raised his hand. "Uh, both? He was probably the only guy who actually stood up for me in the first few months of school this year, until I met these guys." 

Ann nodded. "He helped me with Kamoshida, even when I tried to push him away. After that, he even tried to help me with my confidence when modeling." 

"I was in a dark place with Madarame." Yusuke added. "Him and the Thieves helped me find my way to the light, and allowed me to finally stop blinding myself with ignorance." 

Makoto smiled. "Same here. He helped me realize I was more than just some academic robot. With him around, I feel like I can do anything and everything I want." 

Futaba rolled her eyes, sliding lower into her booth seat. "This is so corny, but... jeez, Ren's like a brother to me, I guess, whatever. He's cool and is really good at platformers for some reason." 

Haru smiled. "The Thieves are an important part of our lives, Shirogane-san. They were there for me when I lost my father, and I simply want to give him the same kindness he showed me." 

Naoto chuckled. "That sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it, Chie?" 

"Heh. Yeah." Chie nodded. "So, what's your decision, Naoto?" 

"...I'm sympathetic to your cause. I'd like an explanation of your methods, but I can feel that your hearts are in the right place. That, and if Takamaki-san really was lying, I'd be able to tell." 

Ann flushed, covering her face with her hands. "...Am I really that bad?" The group replied with a few mumbled affirmatives. 

"I have one condition. I tell the other members of our team about this. We can't keep secrets like this from each other, Chie. We're a team. We won't go to the Shadow Operatives about this, but our little 'Inaba Circle'? They need to know. They have the right to know." 

Chie nodded. "I'm sorry. I really should have come clean about this earlier. Let's go back and find the others. We can talk over dinner!" 

Naoto rolled her eyes, before sighing. "Of course you'd suggest that. We're splitting the check this time. I had to pay the last time we ate, and your orders were about half to the overall price." 

Chie chuckled sheepishly. "Well, I had a busy day! I was hungry!" 

Naoto sighed. "Well, that aside, I wonder what the others are doing at the moment. You only had plans with Yukiko, correct? 

Chie shrugged, opening the door. "Who knows? Probably somethin' stupid." 

~~ 

Ren hated the Junes Bear. He hated it's voice, he hated the way it waddled around everywhere, and he definitely hated the way it followed girls around the department store every time it had some free time yelling something related to 'seeing what's under the costume'. So, the fact that it was trying to shove soba noodles down his throat while tied up was quite literally a nightmare. 

"Come on! You gotta eat! Or else you'll di~ie!" The bear screeched. Ren kept his mouth shut, praying to whatever gods out there that Lavenza would swoop back in and at least give him the power to use an Eiha. 

Was Ren hungry? Extremely. He hadn't eaten in about two days, and while the Shadow Operatives had made some effort to feed him, they had realized his protests and had given up. This bear on the other hand, was not planning on giving up. 

"This is way too painful to watch." Someone muttered, walking into the room. Ren's eyes narrowed. Wasn't that the Junes manager? 

"Teddie, please stop trying to kill Amamiya-san." A woman said. Ren blinked. 

"Huh? Amagi-s--" As soon as he opened his mouth, a fistful of soba was shoved inside. The Junes Bear turned around. 

"Yuki-chan, I'm not trying to kill him! He's so un-bear-ably hungry, I could hear his tummy growling from upstairs! It was 'claws' for alarm!" 

Ren spit out the soba as the bear was talking. He wasn't going to eat any of their food, or take any of their handouts. He'd do this for as long as it took. After all, his diet in Tokyo had almost entirely subsisted of Big Bang Burger, or nothing at all. He could totally do that. 

His stomach practically screamed. The three figures in the room grimaced. 

Yukiko walked over, kneeling next to him. "You know, this protest won't help anything." Ren turned and looked away. "If you eat, then you'll probably be in bad shape and worry your friends, right?" 

Ren squirmed in his chains. "I've made my decision. I'm not taking any handouts from you guys. Especially not from the Junes Bear." 

Yosuke chuckled. "I don't blame you. Anything from Teddie's hands is automatically 'claws for alarm'." 

Yukiko rubbed her chin. "You've definitely gotten more militant since you were little. It's only been a year, and you've managed to change so much." 

"I heard the Amamiya's sent him back since he was causing so much trouble when he returned. The kid left an alleged criminal, and then came back and was doing things like flirting with teachers and making lockpicks." 

Ren chuckled. 

Yukiko sighed. "Well, that family was always sort of uppity, right? Every time they visited the Inn to 'check up', they were always so judgy. I actually kind of like the new Ren." 

Teddie growled. "I don't! He's mean to me! Maybe we can get Rise-chan to seduce him, and then finally get him to eat! Someone call Rise-chan!" Teddie yelled, before Yukiko slapped him with a fan. 

A fourth figure entered the interrogation room. "Hey, Chie and Naoto want us to eat together and talk. Apparently this is big." 

Ren winced. That voice. He had heard that voice before, but... 

"Alright, Yu! Seeya, Amamiya." Yosuke hurried out, Yukiko following close behind. Teddie left his handful of soba noodles on the ground. 

"If you get hungry, just lay down and eat these!" He explained, before hurrying out of the room as well. 

Ren sat there for a moment, before groaning. 

...Maybe it was the hunger settling in, but that floor soba didn't look too bad. 

~~ 

"You and Chie are doing what!" Yosuke yelled, before Chie clamped a hand over his mouth. 

"Not so loud, idiot! Or else the whole restaurant is going to be eavesdropping! Me and Naoto have just made some... new acquaintances." She explained, as the rest of the Investigation Team sat intently around the table. 

"I mean, this is sort of bad, yeah? We can't team up with Mitsuru and the Thieves, and we knew Mitsuru longer." Rise reasoned, rattling her chopsticks against the table. 

Kanji shook his head. "I dunno, if Naoto thinks it's a good idea, then maybe we should help?" 

Teddie huffed, finally out of his costume. "You're just saying that because you're with Nao-chan! So I'm going to agree with Rise-chan!" He scooted closer to him. She shot him a look. 

"You agreeing with me isn't going to make us a couple!" 

Yukiko sighed. "This is hard. If they really are good people, then we should all team up. Us, them, and the Shadow Operatives, right? We can all fight for the same things." 

Yosuke shook his head. "No way, I think Mitsuru super hates those guys after she got that calling card. I mean, I'm sure those kids are nice and all, but I really don't want to deal with a pissed-off Mitsuru." 

Naoto sighed. "It would be ideal for us to all work together, but that doesn't seem like an option. So, we need to formulate a plan that allows the Phantom Thieves to retrieve their leader and escape, without alerting the Shadow Operatives of our shift in allegiance." 

Yu nodded. "I'm with Naoto. If she can tell that they're genuine, then they probably are, right? We can work out some sort of neutral solution." 

"Besides, they're not even planning to hurt Mitsuru! The calling card was just a retaliation message to keep them spooked, all they really care about is grabbing Ren and leaving, not waging war!" Chie explained, Rise shook her head. 

"I can't risk it. I've seen the news, the Phantom Thieves are kind of nuts. And besides, with those crazy Personas, it's not like we're talking about harmless little kids, right?" 

Yosuke nodded. "One of them looked like a freakin' Transformer!" 

"Guys, we saw Amamiya. He wasn't trying to hurt any of us." Yu commented, before Teddie clapped a hand over Yu's mouth. 

"I'm sorry Sensei, but I'm going with the side with the most beautiful ladies! And that's Rise-chan, Mit-chan, Yuka-chan, Ai-chan, and Fuuka-chan... if she comes. Yuki-chan and Chie-chan are okay, but I'd take pretty city ladies over country girls any day!" Teddie announced, before Chie attempted to reach over the table and grab him, Yukiko trying to hold her back. 

"Say. That. Again. You. Little--" 

"Chie! No! Violence isn't as funny unless he's in his bear costume!" Yukiko screamed. 

Rise stood up. "We made our allegiance, right? We can't just betray that. I'm out. I'm acting Navigator. If you guys don't reconsider by the time the Phantom Thieves come, then you won't be getting my help." She bowed, before heading out of the resturaunt. 

Yosuke sighed, getting up also. "Sorry that this is the thing we disagree on, partner. I really don't want to risk my luck with a team we barely know. They could back-stab us at any time! ...I'll see you at the next briefing." He followed behind Rise. 

Teddie hopped up, grabbing up his costume and scrambling after them. "Wait! Don't forget about me!" 

Naoto sighed. "...I assumed everyone would be on our side. I guess I predicted wrong." 

Kanji rubbed her back. "No way! They're just kind of scared about the unknown or whatever, but isn't that normal? Besides, this isn't our problem. Our issue isn't Mitsuru vs. The Phantom Thieves, we're just here to help and maybe moderate." 

Yu nodded. "Good point, Kanji. And it seems like they're not willing to rat us out until the last moment. They're giving us time to rethink." 

Chie smirked. "They're giving us time to plan. Come on, guys! We need to buck up!" 

Yu nodded. "Good plan, Chie. I'm going to head back to my hotel. I need to rest up for the next planning session." He quickly stood up, exiting the resturaunt. Kanji and Naoto got up as well. 

"Yeah, uh, we gotta do that too! C'mon, Naoto!" He picked her up bridal style, hurrying out. 

"...Huh, what was that about? Well, who's getting the-" Chie looked around at the empty table. "Gah, jerks! They left me with the bill!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full leaning into the 'Ren is from Inaba' headcanon... I always thought Teddie would be kind of creepy as a mascot. 
> 
> Also, I split the P4 party. Because that's always fun!


	11. Two-Faced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yosuke, that's ridiculous." Rise said, folding her arms.
> 
> "Please! Just think about it, I know my Partner like the back of my hand, and he's not going to leave me hanging for some people he hasn't even met, right? Just wait, during this briefing, they're going to come back with their tails between their legs." Yosuke folded his arms, chuckling. "I mean, before Naoto showed up, I was pretty much the brains of the operation."
> 
> "God, you all must have been really lucky before I joined..."

**FOUR DAYS UNTIL THE DEADLINE**

\------- 

Mitsuru sat in her office, the lights still at an incredibly low dimness. There was a knock at the door. She groaned. Usually when the lights were off, it meant that someone didn't want to be bothered. Humans were like insects, you could never truly get rid of them unless you decided to burn the entire house down. 

"Come in." She called out. 

"Yo, Mitsuru. I just... uh..." Junpei wandered in, fidgeting with his hands. He looked around. "Wow, it's... dark in here. Is this some sort of new cleanse or--" 

"Spit it out, Iori." She snapped, retrieving her sunglasses. 

"I was just sayin' you looked good- ah, nevermind. It didn't make any sense. I just wanted to check up on you. See if you were doin' alright. You know, just make sure you weren't in any sort of trouble." 

She raised an eyebrow. "...Why would I be in trouble, pray tell? Do you know something I don't?" 

He sat down across from her shaking his head. "No! Well, uh, Yuka-tan was just worried about you. Said you were acting weird and antsy." 

"I'm acting weird and antsy? I was going to say the same about Takeba." She retorted, calmly. He blinked, somewhat confused. That dumb face of his- gullible in every aspect. He reminded her of that musician. 

"Uh, Yuka-tan? I mean, she's been nicer to me, if anything. What's that saying, 'distance makes the heart grow fonder'?" 

"You haven't been here as long. She's been consorting with the prisoner. Giving him looks. I'm getting the feeling that they're scheming something." 

He had the gall to actually laugh. "Yukari and that Amamiya kid? No way! She's just as loyal to the team as I am!" 

"Which is why she wanted you to 'check up on me'?" Her gaze pierced into him. He started to sweat. Good. 

"...Well, I..." 

"Iori, I want you to do me a favor. I have been filled with nothing but stress and anxiety ever since I've retrieved that calling card, you're aware of that, right? Feel my hand, I get chills just thinking about it." She held out her wrist. 

He shook his head. "Uh, no thanks. I think I get the picture. It's just... really hard to imagine you as scared, Mitsuru. I mean, even with Nyx, you managed to get your shit together." 

"Try not to use such vulgar language, Iori." 

"Sorry. What was that favor you needed?" 

"Keep an eye on Takeba. I can assure you, I have a rational reason to be jumpy. She does not. Make sure that she's as dedicated to this team as you are. It simply wouldn't be fair if we weren't all pulling our weight, correct?" 

He slowly stood up, nodding. "I guess... I don't think Yuka-tan would do anything treacherous or whatever, though." 

She smiled, slightly. "People change, Iori. Now, please leave, I don't feel comfortable around others at the moment. I feel as if those Phantom Thieves could strike at any moment." 

He chuckled, jogging to the door. "Don't worry! We'll sniff 'em out. Remember, Junpei Iori: Ace Detective!" He gave her a thumbs up, before leaving. 

She sat at her desk for a moment, before chuckling. 

"Oh, absolutely nobody is going to miss that one when he dies." 

~~ 

"So, Naoto, what's our plan for this?" Chie asked, folding her arms. 

"We apologize. Rescind everything that we said prior. Claim that we were being irresponsible, and that we shouldn't have turned our backs on our friends like that." 

Kanji smirked. "Yeah! Wait- what? But doesn't that cancel the whole freakin' point of our little declaration?" 

"It does seem a bit counterproductive." Yukiko muttered. “And a bit dishonest. While I was admittedly not extremely on board with lying to the Shadow Operatives, they’re different than lying to our friends. Our whole team is based around honesty and trust, and if we casually break that trust now, how are we supposed to trust each other when it’s important. I’m not a detective, so maybe what I’m saying is stupid, but maybe we should just part ways until this blows over. We separated, we should keep it that way and not try and manipulate one another.” 

Naoto shook her head. “Unfortunately, for our actions to be the most effective, we may have to strain our bonds with each other for the time being, if that’s the case.” 

Yu winced. “I had worked so hard on those…” 

Chie frowned. “I mean, I get what Yukiko is saying, but Naoto has a point. If we want to honestly help the Thieves, then we made a mistake splitting up like we did. Besides, it’s Rise, Teddie, and Yosuke! They’d forgive us in a heartbeat once they realize we’re doing it for the greater good!” 

Naoto nodded. "Do you want to risk the others telling the Shadow Operatives about our plan? We work sparingly with the Phantom Thieves. No personal meetings, nothing that can trace us. We communicate entirely via phones with them." 

Yu quirked a brow. "Why are you so committed to these kids? I mean, whatever situation results in the least amount of mess, I'll help with, but... you're getting kind of into this." 

Naoto smiled to herself. "I've had plenty of time to reflect upon myself and my viewpoint of the world. When I first tried to become a detective, I became so obsessed with overcompensating that justice was only a mean to an ends to get approval. When I saw those children, and associated them with the rebelliousness and messages that they preached, I could tell that they truly believed in a cause. They didn't care about what others thought. They simply cared about their impact on the world at large. I'm not trying to be some sort of hero, but they are, and I have no reason to impede upon their goals." 

Chie blinked. "You really thought about it that much?" 

"That, and I'm choosing to follow Yukari-san's judgement that something is up with Mitsuru. I'm going to be doing some investigating. I noticed a few red flags. Notably Teddie's reaction to the headphones. He seemed to be in extreme distress when it was activated, and in extreme rage when the process had finished, and Kirijo just seemed to brush it off as nothing. If it was that stressful, why would she give us and her own team that kind of technology?" 

Yu scratched his chin. "I just thought Teddie was weak." 

Yukiko shrugged. "Same here." 

Naoto groaned. "Never mind. Leave the investigating to me, you all simply return to the team teary-eyed and ask for forgiveness." 

Chie grimaced. "Weren't you the one who said that we shouldn't lie to each other?" 

"When it directly endangers everyone involved, I say a little bit of lying is fine. Tell them that I was too prideful to come and apologize myself, and that I'm going to be keeping myself busy for a little bit." And with that, Naoto wandered away. 

Kanji snorted. "And you all ask why I had a crush on her? That kinda confidence is hot." 

~~ 

"Yosuke, that's ridiculous." Rise said, folding her arms. 

Rise, Teddie, and Yosuke stood in the center of an auditorium, quietly talking amongst themselves. 

"Please! Just think about it, I know my Partner like the back of my hand, and he's not going to leave me hanging for some people he hasn't even met, right? Just wait, during this briefing, they're going to come back with their tails between their legs." Yosuke folded his arms, chuckling. "I mean, before Naoto showed up, I was pretty much the brains of the operation." 

"God, you all must have been really lucky before I joined. Yosuke, it's been less than 24 hours, do you really think they’ll cave that quickly?" 

“I agree with Rise-chan, for real this time. Sensei is practically impossible to stop once he puts his mind on something, Nao-chan, Chie-chan, and Kanji too. The only one who might actually apologize would be Yuki-chan, but would she really go against Chie-chan like that? I don’t bear-lieve so.” Teddie added. Rise seemed surprised. 

“That’s… actually really insightful, Teddie.” 

The bear laughed. “Well, with Sensei gone, someone has to be the brains!” 

The doors swung open, as the rest of the Investigation Team, sans Naoto, strolled inside. 

Rise huffed. "What are you all doing here? I thought you didn't feel like working with us anymore." 

Yu shook his head. "We talked about it. Changed our minds. Despite what we learn, we made a commitment. We owe it to them." 

Chie rubbed her arm. "I still don't really want to fight them, but whatever happens, happens. Right?" 

Rise raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "What? What's that supposed to mean?" 

Yosuke cheered. "It means I was right! I told you, they'd go to bed, Chie would have breakfast, and then boom! They'd have their common sense back. Looks like we're back together! Although..." 

"Where's Nao-chan?" Teddie asked. "Did she really decide to side against us and the Shadow Operatives for real?" 

Kanji sighed. "She, uh, got embarrassed. You know how she gets, when her cheeks turn the cutest shade of pink an' her voice gets higher an'-" 

"Yeah, yeah. Reign it in, loverboy." Yosuke rolled his eyes. "She was too prideful to show up, huh? Well, whatever. She has you to update her on stuff, right? Although there shouldn't be too much to debrief her on. We're just talking about the Thieves, which she already knows about." 

Yukiko and Chie shared a glance, Rise's eyes narrowed. 

"Are we sure this isn't some sort of trick?" 

Yu held up his hands in mock defense. "Things got kind of awkward at dinner. We left on a bad note. We shouldn't keep that sort of bad blood between us, I don't think." 

The idol sighed, shaking her head. "I just don’t trust it. I mean, you all seemed so determined before, and now you’re just coming back? Like it was nothing?” 

Chie folded her arms. “Sorry we’re trying to be friendly, I guess.” 

“Don’t make me out to be the bad guy in this! It just feels super weird, and I don’t know if I can accept it immediately. I just don’t want to be manipulated by my own friends, is that too unreasonable? Or have I just gone crazy?” 

“You’re not being unreasonable.” Yu consoled. “That’s a perfectly honest thing to think. We’re a team, though, and even if we don’t agree on everything, that doesn’t mean we aren’t friends.” 

“Jeez, partner. Calm down, Rise was just being dramatic.” Yosuke chuckled. “We’re glad to see that you decided to be reasonable.” 

“Yeah! We would never suspect you of bear-trayal!” Teddie waddled over to Yu, patting him on the back. “After all, Sensei is the most honorable man I know!” 

Yu opened his mouth to say something, before the door swung open, Akihiko and Aigis in tow. 

He straightened his tie. “Alright, let’s get this started.” 

~~ 

Maya Amano was supposed to think positive. She was supposed to be the support system that everyone felt they could rely on. A pinnacle of light and strength that shone for anyone who was willing to watch. That being said, she was far from perfect. 

_"Is this a new cry for help?"_ A taunting voice tickled in the back of her neck, as she sat on the steps into the Yongen-Jaya subway. 

"...Please go away." She whispered. Her nails raked against the concrete, her eyes entirely unfocused. This had happened before. More frequently recently, but she had come up with a way to deal with it. Somewhat. Still, the way that her head just started to pound each and every time made it rougher and rougher to deal with. She had excused herself early, just so nobody had to watch her like this. It didn’t fit her image. 

_"You talk so much shit about overcoming personal demons and 'thinking positive', and you can't even follow your own advice."_

It hurt. It hurt to listen to, like nails on a chalkboard. Did she really sound like that? Was she that irritating to listen to? 

_"You're just lying to these kids, you know. Just because you have a Persona doesn't mean I'm not real. Just because you can fight back doesn't mean there's nothing to fight against."_

She didn't respond, instead just squeezed her eyes shut. 

_"You try so hard to be peppy. I wonder why? Maybe it's because you know that if you don't at least pretend to be young, people will realize you're a withered, useless, old woman who's going to die unloved unless she puts on her 'happy face'. What a joke."_

"I know you're not real. You were just some creature created to mess with me and my friends, and now you’re all in my head." 

_"...I see. Well, if I'm just part of your imagination, then how about I tell you something you didn't know. An old friend is coming back, because you're that much of a failure."_

"That’s not true. You-- you're just saying that to scare me.” 

There was a laugh, before a solid few seconds of silence. She dared to open her eyes, before seeing someone staring back at her at the bottom of the steps into the subway. A woman, with long dark hair, a brown jacket adorned with hearts, amber eyes that glinted in the darkness and a confident sneer that both seemed to suit her and yet still seemed entirely out of place. Maya’s heart practically stopped. 

_”Now, why would I lie to you? The only one who would lie to themselves is… oh, perhaps you might have a point.”_ The shadow smirked, putting her hands on her hips. 

“Maya? Maya, is that you?” A man’s voice called from the back. Maya barely realized it, the shadow responded for her. 

_”Over here, Katsuya!”_ She yelled, cupping her hands over her mouth, her voice a near-perfect mirror. “Well, here comes your knight in shining cashmere. Perhaps he wouldn’t be running as fast if he realized how much you’ve kept from him?” She winked, before turning around. _”Positive thinking, right? Maybe he won’t utterly despise you in the end?”_ And with that, she strolled off. 

"Maya! There you are! I thought you'd just be waiting for me outside LeBlanc. Sorry it took so long. I just had a few questions for Sakura-san." 

Maya slowly turned around, as Katsuya helped her up. He wiped a tear from her cheek. She hadn't even realized she was crying. "What's wrong? Headaches again? You know, we should really go a doctor for those." 

"...A doctor won't be able to help. I'm fine, though. I just didn't drink enough water today, I guess. Got a little bit dizzy." She forced a smile. "I didn’t want to pass out in front of the kids, so I just went out to get some fresh air." She glanced down into the subway station. Her other was gone. 

Katsuya frowned. "...Maya. If you want to talk, let's talk. You know I’m here for you." 

She sighed, before shaking her head. "How did you do it, Katsuya?" 

He blinked. "Do what?" 

She paused, thinking for a moment, before plucking his shades off his face. "...Keep these for over twenty years. What's it like seeing the world with a permanent orange tint?" She put them on, gasping in mock surprise. "My god, it's like my entire world became a Kool-Aid commercial." 

He chuckled, taking them back. "Please. Don't shame me for my shades when you still carry around 'Mr. BunBun'." 

"First of all, his name is Mister Bunbun Amano-Suou, and he was the best man at our wedding." Maya retorted, feigning offense. 

"That's a lie. Tatsuya was." 

"Whatever, they have similar faces. The point is, you need to respect him as a man, a rabbit, and as a member of this family. If you don't, I'm going to make you formally apologize to him in public." She reached into her purse, threateningly. 

"Fine, fine. I shouldn't have insulted Mister Bunbun Amano-Suou like that. And apparently you don’t feel like actually talking. Now, can we get back to the hotel? It's getting late, and we might miss the last subway if we dawdle." He headed down the steps. 

Maya stood there for another moment, before turning around, taking one last glance down the darkening, empty backstreets of Yongen-Jaya, and towards the dull, living lights of the subway station. "...You know, you're the only person I know that's ever seriously said the word 'dawdle'." she called out, hurrying after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maya's dynamic with her Shadow is something that P2 liked to lay out the groundwork for but never really executed. It's basically common knowledge that if you accept your Shadow, you accept a part of yourself and grow as a person. If you don't accept the Shadow, it gets stronger, and may even go on a rampage. Even in P2, the others accepted the 'bad' sides of themselves. Except Maya.
> 
> So how strong is a Shadow that's being constantly repressed and rejected after almost 20 years? 
> 
> That aside, this is the first mention of Tatsuya in the entire fic, so that's a milestone. My head-canon is that 'This Side' has a Tatsuya who, while having a Persona, doesn't use it too often. Think early 'Innocent Sin' Vulcanus. I also think he became a police detective and through some turn of fate ended up getting with Jun. 
> 
> Anyways, enough of me rambling.


	12. Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “They gave me one week. Or, gave themselves one week, to be fair. Arbitrary amounts of time either way, but I really do love when one sets their own execution date.”
> 
> Naoto didn’t flinch, her hand now soundly resting on top of her pistol. “So you want them to come. Why? Did you expect us to kill each other?”
> 
> Kirijo scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Now, Shirogane, don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t expect you all to kill each other. Five seconds of conversation, and that would all be ruined."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third time's the charm, right? I hadn't been happy with Chapter 12 and how it fit in with the others. I had planned on allowing Fuuka in later, but had decided to make a few edits so that she'd be more integral to the story, instead of being a fancy one-off character that never gets used again-- so this is officially the third edit of Chapter 12 that I've posted. 
> 
> ...And we still have a while to go, folks. This is all just the setup!

**THREE DAYS BEFORE THE DEADLINE.**

\------- 

Naoto was what some would call a professional detective. That would be an understatement. She was a prodigy for her time, only usurped by the (apparently late) Akechi Goro, who she had her suspicions about being perhaps not as prestigious as the media claimed he was. However, now was not the time for her to remain bitter. She was given a task, and had been following it diligently, having long, drawn-out conversation sessions with several of the workers in the Kirijo Building. Her findings scrawled on a notepad, she found herself outside, forcing herself to take a break.

Her phone buzzed. She looked down at it.

\--  
**LUCIA** : Good afternoon, Shirogane-san. Check across the street.  
\--

Naoto glanced up, seeing a teal-haired woman hurry across the crosswalk, and approach her. Yamagishi Fuuka. Technical prodigy, former navigator for SEES and current navigator for the Shadow Operatives. She had apparently been missing in action for a few days, not responding to any of the messages that the Shadow Operatives had sent in order to reach out. So, Naoto was more than a little surprised that she had been the first one to have made contact.

Fuuka hurried up to Naoto, and then simply passed by her without even a glance. Naoto’s brow furrowed for a second, before her phone buzzed again.

\--  
**LUCIA** : Apologies, I don’t mean to be rude, but we can’t speak openly for very long. I have several very important things to tell you.  
**LUCIA** : First of all, I know of your involvement with the Phantom Thieves.  
**LUCIA** : I can see you typing, there’s no point in denying it. I had been asked by Mitsuru-senpai to keep a close eye on you and your team, which I found odd. Luckily, I hadn’t told her of your affiliations yet.  
\--

Naoto glanced up from her phone, as Yamagishi continued to type. Yamagishi was much more assertive over text than in person, it seemed. Their eyes met for a brief moment, before she gestured for her to look back at the screen.

\--  
**LUCIA** : I’m sensing two strong shadow presences. Well, I can only confirm one of the large signatures that Juno senses as ‘shadows’, and it’s coming from below the building. Even my scanning abilities can’t tell where, however.  
\--

Naoto’s eyes widened.  
\--  
**NAOTO** : But how? Wouldn’t Kirijo be aware of something like this? And I’m sure Rise could sense it as well.  
**LUCIA** : Rise-san isn’t able to use her Persona freely, correct? She would need an Evoker. And I’m having my own doubts about Mitsuru-senpai.  
**NAOTO** : ...I see. And I agree, Kirijo has been acting strangely. Yukari asked me to investigate.

 **LUCIA** : Of course. I have no proof, but I did find a correlation between the strong presence’s movements and Mitsuru-senpai’s- or at least Mitsuru-senpai’s phone. It’s worrying me. I hope she’s alright...  
**NAOTO** : I’ll investigate. Thank you. Should I get you in contact with the Thieves themselves? They may be able to assist you.  
**LUCIA** : I’ll manage. Thank you very much, Shirogane-san. Please be safe.

~~ 

Yukari folded her arms. “So, have you found anything weird with Mitsuru? I mean, notably weird.”

The detective nodded, adjusting her cap. “I’ve actually gathered some information that’s… notable cause for concern. The first is that Mitsuru seems to have abandoned a sleep schedule altogether, simply coming and going from her office as she pleases, but never bothering to actually leave the Kirijo building.” 

“...That’s… creepy.” Yukari looked over her shoulder, cringing. “What else do you got?” 

“Apparently she hasn’t been seen doing anything resembling eating or drinking. At some point in the past two weeks, Mitsuru has forgone human behavior and just started to… exist. She’s like some sort of highly-functioning zombie, to put things in less unsettling terms.” 

“I don’t think that makes things less unsettling. Although, nobody really bothered to say anything until you asked? You think they’d come to one of the Shadow Operatives…” 

“I wouldn’t be so confident.” Naoto adjusted her tie, shrugging. “Mitsuru still seems as glamourous and proud as ever. The common perception of her personality hasn’t changed drastically, and people are prone to finding justifications to the bizarre. Someone recalls not seeing her eating? Then she must be on a diet. Not sleeping? Stress from work- which could be useful although she’s shown no signs of normal fatigue. And those sunglasses.” 

Yukari gasped, gripping Naoto by the shoulders. “I know, right? I always thought it was weird when she would never freaking take them off! I thought I was just overthinking things, but you think it’s super weird too, right?” 

“She keeps her lighting low, which isn’t odd in and of itself. The strange part is that she is reported to continue wearing the sunglasses in the dark. However, I’ve also made contact with Yamagishi-san.” 

Yukari’s eyes widened. “Fuuka? Seriously? She’s been MIA for like, weeks. Everyone was thinking that she had gotten busy, or had lost her phone or something. How is she? 

“She’s worried. She’s picking up two strong readings coming from below and above us, and has made the intelligent decision to not enter the building. She’s also found a correlation between Mitsuru and one of the dangers. I told her I’d investigate for us.” Naoto pulled out her pad, writing something on it, before handing it to Yukari. “If… something happens to me, call this number.” 

Yukari took the pad, looking at it. “...Don’t be so negative. We’ve got three days left, right? And besides, I still need to pay you. I really appreciate you doing this for me.” 

Naoto nodded, before heading off. “I’m going to do one last lap around the building to see what I find. And don’t worry about payment. Count this as a favor.” 

~~ 

“Woah, these headphones are crazy!” Futaba yelled, startling Sojiro. 

“Huh? Wha? What’s up with them?” He asked, as Morgana hopped over to Futaba’s table in LeBlanc, curling up on her shoulders. 

“They mess with the brain just enough to get someone to summon their Personas! They’re like some kind of evoking machine? Caller! Persona Phones? P-Phones. We’re calling them P-Phones.” 

Morgana squinted. “So, with these we’d be able to summon our Personas without any trouble, right?” 

Futaba shook her head. “It’s a Monkey’s Paw thing. Yeah, you get your Persona, but your brain is so stimulated and super-charged that you basically lose your sense of self for a little bit. You become a crazy zombie with superpowers, which sounds awesome, but would probably totally suck to experience.” 

“Kirijo wanted to give that to her team? Man, I’m glad Chie gave us hers! What if she had put them on and activated them on accident?” 

“I know, it’s super weird! Especially since these were cranked up to the highest possible setting. I ran a few sims, and if these went off, her brain would be literally fried if she used them more than once, and the first time almost completely destroys the frontal lobe. These are, like, crazy dangerous. Although I think I can create a pair- a safer pair, I mean.” 

Morgana nodded. “Make a pair for Ren, he hasn’t been able to train like we have.” 

Futaba nodded. “Can do! Futaba’s Persona-Phones are gonna be so dope! Maybe I can sell them online? Although that’d be a ton of work… maybe I can just modify Chie’s pair to not suck so bad, and then give those to Ren. Do you think that’s possible?” 

“Yeah, right. Sorry for all the pressure, Futaba.” 

She smirked, typing away. “Whatever, I work best under pressure, Mona! Now, let’s get crackin- oh, wait. Sorry, someone just DMed me.” 

“What’s that?” Morgana squinted at the screen. “Oh, you mean someone texted you.” 

“Not everything is texting, Morgana! Jeez, for a cat that’s only been real for like, a year, you’re such an old guy. Anyway, it’s one of the people in my hacker group.” 

\-- 

**LUCIA** : Good afternoon. I feel as if we need to come clean about some information about ourselves, Alibaba-chan. 

\-- 

“Uh-oh.” Morgana whispered, Futaba shrugged, before starting to type away. 

\-- 

**ALIBABA** : What’s up? 

**LUCIA** : We seem to be on opposing sides at the moment. I work with the Kirijo Group. 

\-- 

Morgana practically fell off Futaba’s shoulders, claws digging into her jacket before slowly clamoring his way back up. His ears twitched. “No way! They seriously found us out that fast? I thought you used a burner!” Futaba glared at him, before continuing the conversation. 

\-- 

**ALIBABA** : IDK how that pertains to me? Unless you’re planning to give me a backdoor into their systems, which I’d love <3 

**LUCIA** : That seems to be the most practical offer, although I do want a favor from the Phantom Thieves in return, if I may ask. 

**ALIBABA** : shit. 

**ALIBABA** : I mean, ask away. :P 

**LUCIA** : Shirogane Naoto has told me that she will investigate a strange presence upon the upper floors of the Kirijo Building. When you commence your theft, I would like you to see what’s going on there as well. My friends and teammates are within that building, and I don’t want to see anyone hurt. 

\-- 

“Wait, we can’t tack on another mission in addition to saving Ren! Our hands are full.” Morgana whined. “We’re not in the Metaverse! Going in as ourselves is risky enough- without having to run into potential deadly danger.” 

\-- 

**ALIBABA** : Sounds good. You can count on us, Luci-chan. 

**LUCIA** : Thank you. I’m sending you a full map of the Kirijo Building now. Do with it as you please. In addition, I’m sending you a brief dossier on Kirijo Mitsuru. 

**ALIBABA** : What about the others? 

**LUCIA** : ...I don’t feel comfortable giving that out. They are my friends. I’m just simply having doubts about Mitsuru-senpai. 

**ALIBABA** : Senpai? 

**LUCIA** : I’ve spoken for too long. Thank you, Alibaba-chan. 

\-- 

Morgana glowered at the girl, lightly smacking her in the cheek with the back of his paw. “Why’d you do that? I just said we couldn’t handle it!” 

“Yes we can, Mona. And besides, Luci-chan is cool. She actually helped me out with creating Medjed, believe it or not. I think we can trust her, and we need to show her that she can trust us.” 

“Yeesh,” Morgana rolled his eyes, “When did you get so honorable all of the sudden?” 

“I got a bad ending in an RPG and now I’m just trying to make the world a better place.” She said, scratching behind his ears. “Besides, we’re the Phantom Thieves. We got this.” 

~~ 

“Do you have any sevens?” Elizabeth asked. 

“I do not ♪ I only have a Jack Frost, a Mara, and a Shiisa ♪” Belladonna replied, staring at her cards. 

“Aha! So now, this is the part where you say ‘Go Fish’, and give me all of your earnings!” The Velvet Attendant scooped up the pile of tarot cards on the floor, as the other residents of the Velvet Room stared on with mixed reactions. 

“Dear sister,” Margaret began. “Perhaps we should be formulating some sort of plan? Our day of reckoning is approaching far more swiftly than comfortable, and I am having doubts of the Master of Masters actually returning…” 

Lavenza sighed, looking downwards. “Perhaps he has grown weak? It has been a very long time since he has assumed a sustainable form… and even longer since he has spoken to us.” 

“Now, Lavenza.” Igor reprimanded, gently. “The Master is simply biding his time. If we lose faith in him, then who’s to say that humanity won’t lose faith in him and his ideals as well?” 

“I’m sorry, Master.” Lavenza clutched her book tighter. “Perhaps I am a bit… pensive. My Trickster is still contained in what we believe to be the epicenter of the coming calamity, and I simply worry for him.” 

Margaret chuckled. “Ah, I understand the feeling of deeply worrying for a guest as well… you must not err in the face of their apparent danger. The Wild Cards always have a penchant for escaping tough situations.” 

They both heard a faint noise come from Elizabeth. The excitable woman turned around, pulling out some more cards. “...Belladonna, you’re no good at this game. Perhaps Nameless? You know I haven’t seen you in so long, you may as well play a hand with me?” 

Margaret nudged Lavenza. “...Play with your sister. Your worries may find more solid footing with her than me.” 

The youngest nodded, before slowly making her way over. Margaret stood next to Igor, smoothing out her dress. “...You are worried about Master Philemon as well?” 

The old man chuckled, shuffling his own deck of cards. “...I suppose you were the most insightful, Margaret. I am. He usually leaves a sign, some sort of signal letting us know that he is there with us. And yet…” 

“Not even the tiniest flap of a wing.” Margaret finished. “I’ve never had the grace of seeing Master Philemon’s face. I don’t think Elizabeth has either. Is he… upset with us?” 

Igor looked up, surprised. “Ah, no. Not at all. Once Nyarlathotep was sealed away, he simply didn’t see his needing to be around any longer. So, he fully gifted me the power of Persona and the Velvet Room, and left to be an observer once more.” 

“Speaking of--” Elizabeth called out, in the midst of distributing her own deck. “Is there any reason why we are not allowed to leave? I mean, I understand the ‘reason’, but it feels counterproductive to simply sit and wait when we could be acting.” 

“We are observers, we observe, and then act as needed. Acting rashly could result in unforeseen consequences.” Lavenza sighed, her eyes suddenly finding an interest with the floor. “Although you may leave as you please- I’d advise you to follow your soul rather than your heart this time, Elizabeth.” 

Elizabeth paused, before pursing her lips and returning to the cards. “...Of course, Master.” 

“I heard Master Philemon is very beautiful. That he was made that way to represent the beauties of humanity.” Margaret stated, shifting the subject. 

“Beauty is subjective, my dear.” He pulled out a card. Lilith. “Do you see this Persona as beautiful?” 

Margaret nodded. “Yes… and I think I understand your point, Master. Despite her beauty, the mythology behind her is filled with cruelty and sin.” 

“Beauty isn’t a sign of goodness. Beauty is simply a coat that anybody can wear. Therefore, while Master Philemon may be appealing from a visual standpoint, he also tries to keep his heart his most appealing trait. If Nyarlathotep chose so, he could be beautiful as well.” 

“He has chosen so.” Elizabeth piped up, glancing over her shoulder. “He’s taken the form of Kirijo Mitsuru. While she is fairly stoic, she’s heavily regarded as beautiful among the humans, as well as influential.” 

Igor chuckled. “Very good point, Elizabeth.” 

Margaret sighed, smiling softly. “I must apologize for my ignorance. Thank you, Master.” 

“No need to apologize for the acquisition of knowledge. Despite your years, you are still very young at heart, along with your sisters. It is normal to worry, fear, fret, just as long as you don’t allow those feelings to take hold of your hearts.” Igor explained, riffling the almost endless deck of cards in his hands. “Now, perhaps you should go have fun as well.” 

Margaret seemed surprised. “But… Master?” 

“All we’re doing is lying in wait. You will have plenty of time to listen to an old man ramble on about life. I can not guarantee the next time you’ll be able to see Elizabeth again.” 

“You may be right… fine.” She wandered over to where the rest of the residents were huddled around Elizabeth and Lavenza’s game, entranced by the strange rules that Elizabeth seemed to be making up on the spot. 

Igor closed his eyes, the grin on his face weakening. “Trapped within the Velvet Room… it appears the tricks of chaos seem to be much more effective than I had presumed. Please return soon, my Master…” 

~~ 

“You know, if you had some sort of grievance with me, you could just have come and talked to me yourself.” 

Naoto came to a stop at the end of the hallway. “...Ah, Kirijo-san. I had heard you were in your office. Busy.” She said, one hand sliding over to her holstered gun. Mitsuru folded her arms, shaking her head. 

“I heard you were snooping around. I should have expected some level of trust, and yet here you are.” 

Of course, one of her lackeys must have alerted Mitsuru after being interrogated. Suckups. “If you have an explanation of why you haven’t eaten at all in about two weeks, refuse to leave this building, and seem to be intentionally causing distress among several groups via uncouth methods such as kidnapping, I’d be very happy to listen.” The detective’s eyes narrowed. 

“The Phantom Thieves sent their calling card four days ago.” Mitsuru began, taking a step closer. 

“Yes, and?” 

“They gave me one week. Or, gave themselves one week, to be fair. Arbitrary amounts of time either way, but I really do love when one sets their own execution date.” 

Naoto didn’t flinch, her hand now soundly resting on top of her pistol. “So you want them to come. Why? Did you expect us to kill each other?” 

Kirijo scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Now, Shirogane, don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t expect you all to kill each other. Five seconds of conversation, and that would all be ruined. You all represent such sickening ideals like teamwork and friendship, that simply pitting you against each other would be childish. That’s simply the setup. The appetizer, so to speak. Watching Philemon’s little pinnacles of hope dance around like monkeys in an electric cage. What more could I ask for?” 

Naoto felt like this was an apt time to pull her gun on what looked like Kirijo. Purely physically, but somewhere under that facade was something… evil. “Philemon?” She asked, simply. 

“Oh, right. You don’t know him, but he’s the one you should thank for that little ‘Persona’ of yours. Or, well, you would be able to thank him- if you weren’t about to be lost forever.” She calmly pulled off her sunglasses, calmly twirling them in one hand. 

Naoto fired, three shots. All perfect. Two in the legs, one in the shoulder. Purely to incapacitate. Her breathing only hitched when she saw nothing but murky darkness pool from the wounds, before they slowly started to heal themselves. 

“Ah, guns. What a ridiculous weapons humans made, when they had so much potential for more. Whatever, it’s more your loss than mine.” Kirijo’s voice started to shift, waver and deepen to the point where it was certainly more masculine, with some sort of underlying base that caused Naoto to grimace out of pure instinct. She could feel the blood starting to trickle from her ears, as her brain stumbled trying to process what she was hearing. 

“Poor Shirogane. I wonder what I’ll tell your friends when you disappear forever. You cracked? Years of oppression from the system finally getting to your head, leading you to your suicide? Perhaps I’ll tell them that you simply gave up on them, and left them forever? That would certainly leave them distraught.” ‘Mitsuru’ rumbled, Naoto finally getting a better look at her face. Her eyes. Her yellow eyes. 

“...You’re a… Shadow?” She held her gun up higher, as the monster before her cackled. 

“No, you’re too far off. I should be insulted you called me a lowly ‘shadow’. Shadows are the remnants of myself. They’re practically the flakes from my skin in comparison. Do you understand? I am far above them, and far above you.” The thing that resembled Kirijo stepped forwards, Naoto finding herself crumpling to her knees for a reason she couldn’t comprehend. 

Was this fear? This was more than fear… but how? She had felt scared before, but this was different. This was… 

“Hopelessness? That’s what you’re feeling right?” The creature impersonating a human whispered, getting close enough so that Naoto could practically feel it’s breath. It was terrifying. Like each huff was made of its own collection of tendrils, starting to line her cheeks and grasp at her throat. “You humans are all alike. So proud until you feel legitimate fear, and then you crumple like paper and beg for mercy.” 

“Who… are you?” 

“Always the astute detective. I hate your kind, but I suppose I’ll oblige. I am all that is dark within humanity. I represent all of those ideals that you humans love to pretend you don’t have. Hatred, bigotry, fear, loneliness, chaos… I am thou, thou art I. Or, that’s how my softer half may put it. I'm simply here to enjoy the show as you all head towards a collision course for oblivion, although I might need to stir the proverbial pot now and again. Despite being eternal, I don't wish to wait forever.” The beast confined to the form of the young woman chuckled, as the hallway they were in slowly began to fill with darkness, creeping closer and closer, before it picked up and washed towards them like a thundering wave. 

“However, Shirogane, are not going to live to see that beautiful day. Goodbye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought Fuuka and Futaba would get along, with the former acting as a sort of mentor. I sort of headcanoned (with some help from actual canon), that while Futaba is an amazing hacker, Fuuka has just been doing it slightly longer and therefore has a slight edge on Futaba. Also, Lucia is Fuuka's canon 'screen name'.
> 
> Also, the Big Bad has revealed himself- somewhat! I saw a few comments that spoke about 'changing Mitsuru's heart', which would be really interesting to mess with, but unfortunately the world didn't exactly line itself up to have Palaces at this moment, which was why the 'Calling Card' Queen and Oracle sent was mainly just for show. 
> 
> Also, a little bit of a Velvet Interlude to both ease the tension of the chapter, and give it slightly more substance.
> 
> Sub-note: While the voice acting in Eternal Punishment is bad, Nyarlathotep actually has a really solid voice, along with Philemon.


	13. The Briefing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ladies, gentlemen, Ryuji…” 
> 
> She began to read, trailing off and shooting the cat a look. Morgana snickered, curling into a ball and lazily staring at the punk, who in return flipped him off. Makoto rolled her eyes, before continuing. 
> 
> “It is a great privilege for you all to stand with the Phantom Thieves today. This will be our final briefing before we save our leader, Amamiya Ren, from the clutches of the Kirijo Group.”

**TWO DAYS BEFORE THE DEADLINE**

The group that Ryuji had creatively dubbed the ‘Neo-Phantom Thieves’ (which nobody truly had enough investment or better ideas to argue with) stood in LeBlanc, staring at Morgana who was proudly pacing back and forth across the table. They could hear the faint clicking of a keyboard up in Ren’s room, as Futaba handled her own technological angle. A small projector had been set on the counter, showing off a screen on the back wall of the cafe, which had a slideshow that Futaba had slapped together in about fifteen minutes. Makoto was chosen to be Morgana’s voice for the evening, which she didn’t seem to be an incredibly big fan of, especially considering the stack of papers of things that Morgana insisted be said during their briefing. She cleared her throat. 

“Ladies, gentlemen, Ryuji…” She began to read, trailing off and shooting the cat a look. Morgana snickered, curling into a ball and lazily staring at the punk, who in return flipped him off. Makoto rolled her eyes, before continuing. “It is a great privilege for you all to stand with the Phantom Thieves today. This will be our final briefing before we save our leader, Amamiya Ren, from the clutches of the Kirijo Group.” She clicked the slide, showing a picture of the Tokyo-based Kirijo building. 

“This will be a dangerous mission, especially if we encounter any of the Persona-users on their side. Luckily, we have a solid team of…” She sighed. “Meow-velous… Persona-wielders of our own. You all will have an important role to play in this heist, as it will be our first official heist outside of the Metaverse. Be careful not to die.” She clicked to the next slide, which had a gif of a man falling off the top of a building. An uneasy mumble began to fill the room, accented by Futaba snickering upstairs. 

“To the Phantom Thieves: Remembering that we aren’t in the Metaverse is important. Our Personas are weaker, and while Maya, Lisa, Eikichi and Katsuya-sensei have done a wonderful job at making us stronger-” She looked towards the four adults, before giving them a slight bow. “-We still aren’t at our full capacity. I’d advise against using any sort of ‘-Dyne’ skill unless absolutely needed. Or else…” Makoto moved to the next slide, which had a gif of someone melting into a puddle, “...This will happen? Futaba! This is ridiculous.” 

“You’re ridiculous!” Futaba retorted from upstairs with a laugh. “Now keep going, I gotta focus.” 

“So immature… Anyways, we’re in the final stretch. It’s going to be impossible to simply win with luck, we’re going to need a solid mixture of brains, brawn, and heart. If Ren was here, he’d have something concise yet inspiring to say, so just take ten seconds to imagine that.” 

There was a solid pause, in which most of the Thieves seemed to nod in apparent understanding, while the others glanced at each other awkwardly. 

“Okay, good. So, phase one of the plan: Gaining control of the security. This part of the plan will involve Maya and Katsuya-sensei, Mona, and Chie--” 

Morgana gave Makoto a look. “What? We’ve barely discussed codenames. We can use them when we’re on the-” Morgana swiped at her blouse, as she rolled her eyes. “God, fine. Rabbit and Titan-sensei, Mona, and Dragon will handle this leg of the mission. Maya- no, Morgana, I’m not keeping up their codenames for the entire briefing- Maya-sensei and Katsuya-sensei will enter through the front, bringing with them a concealed Mona. Maya will distract the security, while Katsuya will drop Mona close to one of the surveillance rooms. From a map we’ve received from an anonymous source, there are several surveillance rooms around the Kirijo building, but luckily there’s one on the first floor. Chie, being given high security clearance with the rest of her team, will let Mona inside, and the two of them will give Futaba full access to the security cameras and footage.” 

“I got this.” Ryuji said, folding his arms. “Once Futaba gets a hold on security, she’s gonna do that cool thing in spy movies where she makes it loop over and over so that it looks like nothin’ is happening, right?” 

Makoto nodded. “That, and she’ll have control of the radio lines too. Any sort of incriminating messages need to go through her, and she’ll be able to stop them or tamper with them.” 

“Tamper with them? How?” Katsuya rubbed his chin. 

“I mean, I don’t know exactly but, well, Futaba can probably block out any incoming signals, which will definitely delay security if we get spotted.” 

Morgana nodded, before gesturing for Makoto to continue, slightly digging his claws into the table with anticipation. “...So, after that, Ryuji and Ann will infiltrate the lower levels of the building, which is where we think Ren is being held. There’s both an elevator system and a stair system, so we think it might be best for them to use the elevator to get down, and then the stairs to return upwards, since the security will most likely be somewhat aware of us by then and shut down the elevators in an attempt to slow us down.” 

Futaba wandered down the steps, still typing away at her computer. “A friend of mine got me some information on Kirijo. She’s an Ice-Type, and since our only Fire-type is Ann, and she’s downstairs, we’re going to need to send our Fighting-types up to the upper floors, being Makoto and Haru.” 

Haru nodded. “I may be able to use my influence with Okumura Foods to gain higher access to the building. Mako-chan will serve as a distraction, using her Persona to quickly make her way up the building.” 

“Wait, but isn’t Anat a motorcycle? It’d have some trouble going up all those steps, right?” Ann fiddled with her hair, looking among the group. “Unless she, like, crams herself and her Persona into an elevator.” 

“Well, ever since Anat awakened, it’s become a bit more than just ‘a motorcycle’. While the tactility of Persona’s are a bit nebulous, Johanna and Anat act as physical objects with the added bonus of being able to be summoned and dismissed at will. So, my mobility upwards shouldn’t be hindered, and should serve as a sizeable distraction.” Makoto explained. “Once Haru and I have made it to the top, we’re going to engage Kirijo. As this is our first physical ‘change of heart’, we’re going to simply try and reason with her.” 

“Armed, of course.” Haru added. 

“...Yes. And, hopefully we’ll be able to appeal to her.” 

Yusuke raised his hand. “...And, what is my role in this? I certainly hope it isn’t ‘stand around and look pretty’, as I’ve been just as invested in this as the rest of you.” 

“Not at all. Your job is to hold the front line in the lobby. Stop any extra guards and police from coming inside.” 

Morgana arched his back, stretching, before looking at his friends. “...Please stay safe, you guys. I don’t know why, but I’m getting this bad feeling, and if we don’t act as fast and efficiently as possible, we might be in trouble. So, please, just remember- failure is not an option.” 

**~~~~~~**

“Failure is not an option.” Mitsuru paced through the auditorium. “We don’t know the methods of these Phantom Thieves, and frankly I’m not willing to find out, so you all need to be on constant guard. Isn’t that right, Tatsumi?” 

Kanji looked up from his phone, blinking. “Huh? Oh- uh, sorry. What was that?” He had been out of it for what felt like hours. Outside of the fact that this meeting was probably the most boring thing on the planet, he hadn’t heard a thing from Naoto. Sure, Chie was off doing her own thing with the Phantom Thieves, which Yukiko had handwaved with her having a stomach-ache from going to wild at Big Bang Burger last night, but Naoto was just… gone. Without an excuse. Normally, if she was going out on business, she’d leave some long-winded note or text that would explain where she was going, what she was doing- if she was allowed to tell him, and the projected times of when she’d be back. She was thorough like that. 

“Uh, Miss Mitsuru-senpai-sama Ma’am,” He stuttered, “Did’ya hear anything from Naoto? I’ve been try’na text and call her for forever and she hasn’t responded in the slightest.” 

He watched as Mitsuru raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. “It isn’t my job to babysit you all. Although, I hope she isn’t planning on doing anything behind our back. We’re a team, after all.” She was definitely being real casual about this. It didn’t seem like anyone else was worried either. 

Kanji felt all eyes on him, as he nervously put his phone back in his pocket. “Uh, no ma’am. She wouldn’t do anythin’ like that, I swear! Maybe she just got a call from work or somethin’...” He chuckled quietly, before looking down at the ground. “...Sorry.” 

“Well, let’s move on. You understand your positions, correct? Chie has the lobby because ‘she missed the meeting, so she gets the worst spot’, as eloquently suggested by Narukami.” She scoffed slightly, before exiting the room. “Talk amongst yourselves, we have a very important day coming. You have one more day to prepare. Use it carefully.” 

**~~~~~~**

Akihiko had never felt uncomfortable talking with Mitsuru before. In fact, it had always been the opposite. She could be blunt and standoffish at times, but something more had to be going on with her than purely being worried about the Phantom Thieves. Paranoia was one thing, fear of death was another, but they had managed to face Death head-on. So what was it about these Phantom Thieves that made her so worried? 

He opened the door to her office. It was so dark in there, he wondered how she could even see her hand in front of her face. “Doesn’t that strain your eyes?” He asked, as slid her sunglasses on. She looked at him, very much annoyed, it seemed. 

“Excuse me?” A mixture of confusion, and offense. He closed the door behind him, folding his arms. 

“Reading in the dark. It strains your eyes. Keep that up, and you’ll probably have to replace your sunglasses with real ones.” He smiled to himself. She seemed much less amused at his comments. 

She didn’t respond for a moment, just holding the eye-contact with him. He felt like he was being scrutinized, like at any second she’d arch her back, flip out of her chair, and pounce at him. His hands flexed instinctively, as if his body was stressing for him to find a way to defend himself. He ignored it. Mitsuru was acting odd, but not dangerous. She returned to what she was doing before, her head angling down, red hair falling in front of her face. 

The silence lingered. Akihiko didn’t move. He could tell that she didn’t want him around at the moment, but something was bugging him just to stick around. She clicked her tongue, looking up at him. 

“Yes, Sanada?” She snapped. He shrugged. 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. You’ve seemed stressed. Tense. Different, I guess.” 

“That’s all?” She sat up, drumming her fingers on the table with an irritated rhythm. “Thank you for profoundly wasting my time, Sanada.” 

His eyes widened, before gritting his teeth, taking a few steps forwards. “Wasting your time? What’s your problem, Mitsuru? I’d get it if you were stressed, and I know you’re not the type to ‘talk out your feelings’, but you’re just starting to push everyone away for no reason. We’re a team, you can’t just shove us out of your life as soon as things start getting tough again.” 

She glared back at him, before sighing. “I have to run a company, Sanada, and now I’ve been targeted by the Phantom Thieves. I know that may not sound as important as your latest ‘world-wandering’ kick, but while you go out and ditch society to fight people in your underpants, I have my own dedications.” 

“You realize that the whole ‘Phantom Thief’ issue is our fault, right? You had me go scoop up some teenager, and now they’re pissed.” 

He thought it was impossible for her gaze to sharpen. He was wrong. It felt like knives were digging into his soul. “You could have said no.” 

“I-” 

She stood up, walking around her desk and up to him. She jabbed a finger into his chest, and he felt his blood practically freeze. The anger in her eyes, the irritation in her voice. “You could have stopped at any point, but you simply went along with it like some puppet, and now you have the gall to scold me for my actions? You’re a hypocrite, Sanada, and I seem to be the only one taking punishment for our actions. So, how about you do something useful for once, and help stop those Phantom Thieves before something happens. I don’t want my heart to be changed, I don’t want to fundamentally change as a human being because they ‘don’t like it’.” 

Akihiko looked down. “...Maybe we both need our hearts changed. You’re right. I’ve just been passing on the blame without taking a look at myself.” 

“...What?” Mitsuru, for the first time in what seemed like forever, looked shocked. 

“Nothing. I’ll be training if you need me.” He turned around, “...You know, being introspective is hard, but if ‘he’ was here, he’d probably be pretty damn upset.” 

“He…? Just go, Akihiko. You’re not making any sense.” Mitsuru returned to her desk, shooing him off with one hand. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you. Later.” The boxer shrugged, before leaving. He stood out in the hallway, thinking for a moment. 

“Maybe the Phantom Thieves have the right idea…” He shook his head. “No, I can’t think like that. Those other people they targeted were criminals. Pedophiles, abusers, corrupt politicians. She’d have to be extremely messed up even to compare to those guys…” He reasoned, starting to head down the hallway, passing by a small, immaculate, notepad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been really sure where I land on shipping Mitsuru and Akihiko. They usually have a really good, friendly dynamic, so I'd more see them as close friends or even siblings.
> 
> ...Although the same could be said for Lisa and Eikichi, and I ship them together, so that reasoning is a bit flawed. It usually depends on the fic. I'm not opposed to them being together, but they're so similar that they could either be a cute couple or be an entire disaster.
> 
> Anyways, I'm rambling on this because I don't have any real 'end-of-chapter' notes.


	14. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Kanji singing to himself, moving around the kitchen with a grace that would have most people confused unless they knew the man personally.
> 
> “Shout friends~! Somethin’, somethin’, _fe~elings_ ~♪ Ring bells~♪ Blah, blah, dun-nah-nah-nah~! Somethin’ somethin’ True Stor~y!”
> 
> Yu knocked his knuckles against the counter. “Yo, Kanji.”
> 
> The menacing man screamed, practically dropping the curry powder he was carrying over, barely catching it with one hand. “Ah! Fuck! Oh, senpai. It’s just you.” He wiped his brow, successfully transporting the curry powder. “You can’t scare me like that, man.”

FINAL DAY BEFORE THE DEADLINE.  
~~  
Ren could feel that things were going to change. Perhaps it was the excitement welling up in his stomach, or the floor soba that he had eaten off the floor out of pure desperation, but he knew that something big was going to happen. Keeping track of the days had been hard. Honestly, the only thing that alerted him that a new day had occurred was the fact that the Junes Bear would peek into the interrogation room and stare at him for about fifteen minutes, and then throw some more soba noodles on the floor next to him. Once for breakfast, another for lunch, and then finally for dinner.

Then, after that, the robot girl would stare into the interrogation room, and watch with both extreme confusion and slight worry as he maneuvered himself into a position to eat said soba noodles. After the first two days, she actually started to seem a little bit impressed, to the point where she would come in and shift the noodles into increasingly more complicated positions for him to writhe around in. Which was fun because he got to show off, but sucked since he needed to eat. 

If hell was real, it was definitely this. 

But today was different. For starters, the Junes Bear had only time to leave one serving for floor soba, which was disappointing. Also, the robot girl didn’t come and visit him, which was doubly disappointing. So, he tried to find ways to entertain himself. 

For a few moments, he rocked back and forth, humming to himself. And the humming turned to mumbling, and the mumbling turned to full-on singing. 

“Dark Sun~♪ Wherever you shine~♪ Eyes turn to sto~one--” He immediately stopped, falling backwards as the white-haired man, Akihiko, walked inside. He smirked. 

“No, keep singing kid, I could hear you from out there. We’ve already got one idol on board, I didn’t expect another.” He folded his arms, walking over to the glass. “To be fair, it’s a bit refreshing. I heard something about Aigis about you scrambling for floor noodles, and this honestly makes it feel like you’re not some evil mastermind. Which… makes me feel like more of an asshole.” 

Ren’s eyes narrowed. This was sudden, and new. Was this remorse? 

Akihiko continued. “If I loosened those restraints, are you gonna run away?” 

Ren paused for a moment, before shaking his head. It was a lie, obviously, but he really needed to get loose. His arms had already fallen asleep. “The door to this place is locked, right? I wouldn’t be able to get anywhere.” He proposed. 

Akihiko raised an eyebrow, before sighing, walking over and slowly unlocking the myriad of chains around him, before he was just confined by a solid length of rope. There was a pause, as Ren did absolutely nothing, and Akihiko smiled. “...Can I ask you a few questions, kid?” 

Ren raised his brow. “...Sure.” 

The white-haired man sat directly across from Ren, folding his arms on the table. “Does a change of heart… hurt? Like, what’ll happen to Mitsuru?” 

He didn’t have an answer. Unless his team regained access to the Metaverse, literally nothing would happen to her, theoretically. But they didn’t know that, and that was the one trump card that the Thieves held over the Shadow Operatives. He needed to make up something, fast. “It won’t hurt her. Based on everything else, the target becomes bedridden for a few days, until their cognition fully changes. In which they’ll proceed to confess all the evil they’ve done, and ask for appropriate action.” 

Akihiko frowned, as if the answer didn’t satisfy him. “But, Mitsuru isn’t evil. The only thing she could truly confess was confining you. She’s not some criminal like the others. Isn’t there some other way?” 

Was he… trying to make an appeal? He stated the obvious. “Let me go.” 

Akihiko responded immediately. “No.” 

“Then there isn’t another way. Sorry.” He closed his eyes, as if shutting down the conversation. 

There was a pregnant pause, before he was caught off-guard. “Then change my heart too. Change my heart with Mitsuru’s. She shouldn’t have to take the brunt of this by herself, right? Send me a calling card too.” 

Ren was confused. The last time someone asked for a calling card, it was Futaba, and that was because she had legitimately developed a Palace and needed help. This was the first time someone had tried to spur on a change of heart purely so that his companion wouldn’t have to be alone in the process. He chuckled. “Uh, well, I can’t exactly change your heart like this.” He gestured with his head at the rope holding him back. 

Akihiko frowned. “I guess there was a whole process. Can’t you just make the declaration or whatever? ‘Sanada Akihiko, blah blah blah’, and all that?” 

Ren looked at the rope around him, and then at Akihiko. He was formulating a plan to escape, but couldn’t do that if Akihiko was literally right in front of him. “Alright then. Let me think…” He needed to make this sound official, even if he was just guessing. They didn’t know how calling cards worked, so if he just managed to sell this, it’d be a miracle. He just needed to remember how Ryuji and Makoto did it. The way he wrote the calling cards had been very dramatic. 

He cleared his throat. “Sanada Akihiko, wielder of the sin of…” He remembered the kidnapping. “Wielder of the sin of wrath. You have committed a grave crime in kidnapping the leader of the Phantom Thieves under little pretense, and refusing to fully rectify your actions under due fear to conflict amongst your team. Your avarice, cowardice, and aggressiveness will result in your undoing, and you shall feel the full weight of your sins, and confess thy crimes with your own mouth.” He would have summoned Arsene, just to flare it up a bit, but he needed to conserve any and all energy. He looked at Akihiko, who seemed to have bought into it fully. The man stood up, bowing. 

“Thank you, ‘Joker’. I hope this works.” He said simply, before exiting the interrogation room, leaving Ren to his own devices. 

If he hadn’t been almost kidnapped, he would have felt bad for the guy. Now wasn’t the time to think about that though. He closed his eyes, concentrating, before the sickening form of Slime appeared behind him. “Agi.” He whispered, as a few pathetic embers dribbled from the Persona’s mouth, setting the ropes ablaze enough for him to burst out of them. He stumbled forwards, flexing his arms for what felt like the first time in days, and pulling loose noodles off of his shirt. He looked around, before slowly dashing to the door, reaching into his pockets. They had taken his knife, which meant he’d need to get creative with picking the lock. 

He looked back at the chains and various bits of metal laying around the floor. He was desperate, and he felt like he could definitely make a lockpick out of that junk. He just needed time. He scooted over to the loose chains, Arsene hovering over his shoulder with it’s eternal smirk. “Alright. Cleave.” The Persona raked it’s claws against the metal, as Ren felt some of his life drain from his body. Small steps. There was plenty of time to be flashy, but now wasn’t it. 

A rinse and repeat process, constantly cleaving, pressuring, and heating the metal while trying to use as little energy as possible. His face was illuminated by the small bursts of fire that flitted from his hands, and the sparks as metal was cut and chipped apart. His hair clung to his face, moments passing where he’d need to blink repeatedly or pinch himself just to keep himself awake and his vision straight. He had resigned himself to the weakest abilities he could muster, and it was still enough to leave it winded. Still, he was left with a few pathetic-looking strips of metal that could work as lockpicks. 

He crept over to the door, slowly starting to maneuver his hands. The first lockpick snapped instantly, causing him to swear under his breath. He messed with the next, making a bit more progress, before it snapped as well, leaving half of it wedged inside of the lock. He tried to slide it out with his nails, fumbling before it clattered to the ground. He tensed up, eyes widening as his Third Eye scanned around to see if there were any direct threats around. 

Nothing. 

He took a deep breath, before clicking in the third, this time trying to be slow and careful, like he had been the first time Morgana had taught him to pick locks. There was a click, as the handle turned, and he was able to slowly edge the door open. He peeked his head through, slowly crawling out before getting up to his feet. He looked around the darkened hallway, trying to get his bearings. His eyes flashed again, as his Third Eye focused on a room at the very end of the hallway. Two figures, both weak. He made his way over, carefully, before slowly opening the door. 

He almost threw up. 

Two women, laying there both in a terrible state. The first body was of a young woman with blue hair. She was dressed nicely, a tie around her neck and suit-jacket, with a hat. Her eyes were rolled into the back of her head, and dripping with an ink-like substance that he could only relate to the Okumura mental shutdown. Her mouth trembled, hoarse words dribbling out every few seconds. The light of the hallway reached her form, and she immediately recoiled, curling into a ball. Liquid trailed out the edge of her mouth, starting to pool around her face. 

“Mon… ster…” She spat out, nails starting to scrape against the floor, blood starting to trail from the tips. He took a step back. What had Kirijo and her team done to her? He looked over to the other body, a familiar mop of red hair covering their face. He took a cautious step forwards once again, lifting up her head, before immediately dropping it with a yell. 

_Kirijo._

He recognized the face, but it was different. Thinner, lifeless, with the same blank, oozing eyes like the blue-haired woman. Unlike the other woman, this one showed no signs of life. He picked up her wrist, feeling for a pulse. Seconds passed before the faintest beat throbbed against his fingertips. This was the worst kind of suffering. Entirely unnatural, but stuck between some realm of life and death. Her already thin fingers were practically skeletal, before he felt them slowly wrap around his wrist. 

“...Sorry… fail… all… forgi..ve…” She moaned. She convulsed, spitting violently on his leg. He recoiled, before frowning. If this was Kirijo, who was the woman that he had seen earlier? Something wasn’t right. His curiosity was starting to get the better of him, and all thoughts of escape faded in favor of getting to the bottom of everything. If this was happening to people, then his team was running into danger. He couldn’t let that happen to him. 

He walked over to the blue-haired woman, peeling off her suit-jacket and wrapping it around him, snagging the hat as well. He wrapped the jacket around his waist for later. It wouldn’t be that great of a disguise, but he wasn’t planning on getting spotted that often anyways. He backed out of the room, leaving the door open. He couldn’t just let these horrors get locked away. “I’m sorry.” He whispered quietly with a bow, before turning back to face the hallway. He looked around, noticing a security camera pointed right at him. 

Shit. 

He’d need to be fast. If they didn’t already report his escape, then they would have soon. He looked around, finding a vent nearby on the ceiling. That could work. “Kelpie.” He whispered, sprinting under the vent, before casting a Garu spell on it, a gust of wind shooting up and knocking the grate over it, and then repeating the spell to give him a little bit more height as he jumped up, grabbing onto the edge of the vent and pulling himself upwards with a grunt. He paused, taking time to pant and catch his breath, before starting to crawl his way through. 

The passages through the vents seemed to take forever, as he scrambled his way through. The only thing he could confirm was that ‘up’ was good, and the more voices he heard meant that he was finding a closer path to society. He stopped as he heard a few guards converge around the last vent opening he passed, holding his breath. 

“I heard word that we’ve got an intruder loose in the building.” 

“Seriously? Ugh, I thought they were saving that shit for tomorrow.” 

“Quit whining. Apparently this kid is dangerous. Keep an eye on the vents and everything, and let us know if you see someone suspicious.” 

Shit. So they were on the lookout for him now. He slowly tried to make progress forwards, not breathing until he was sure the guards were gone. The vents were cramped, and definitely made oxygen seem like a commodity. It wasn’t like this in the Metaverse. Then again, he had only spent a total of a few minutes crawling through vents in the Metaverse. 

He scooted his way through, before the vents hit a direct vertical spike. He would need to leave this set of vents and find another way through. He had just been lucky that the vents had taken him this far. He backed up, finding an exit, checking for any guards before breaking out and hitting the ground with a thud. He quickly stood up, looking around, before slipping on the jacket and putting on the hat. He took a step forwards before… 

“Hey!” 

_Damn it._

He didn’t turn around, tilting the hat further down to cover his face. A guard ran up next to him. “Man, I heard you were personally called here, Shirogane-san, but this is great! It’s an honor to meet you!” 

What? This guy thought he was somebody else? This could be an issue. He didn’t respond, simply shrugging. The guard continued talking. “Man, it’s great to finally meet the first Detective Prince. I mean, that Akechi guy is interesting, but you can’t beat the greats, eh? My daughter loves you. Posters all over the place. You’re a real inspiration.” 

Wait. Detective Prince? So, Shirogane as in Shirogane Naoto? His mind flashed back to the blue-haired woman he had seen in the dark room. That had to have been her. She had probably been murdered because she had learned to much. “I… uh…” He sputtered. “Sorry, can’t talk. Maybe later.” He quickly said, starting to power walk away. 

“Ah, I get it. You’re probably doin’ some important detective stuff.” The guard chuckled. “Oh, wait! There’s somethin’ different. Did you cut your hair? Get taller? Hah! Look at me, I’m like a detective too!” The guard laughed. 

Ren broke into a sprint, as the guard stood there with a blank expression on his face, before rolling his eyes. “Man, those detective-types are all weirdos.” 

This definitely wasn’t going to work. It didn’t feel right to pretend to be a dead person, first off, but he also couldn’t fool the entire building that he was Shirogane Naoto. There was also the fact that some guards first assumption upon seeing him in a suit was to assume he was a woman. A masculine-presenting woman, but a woman nonetheless. “No time to worry about my masculinity, I guess…” He mumbled. 

He continued to wander along the corridors, making an attempt to stay out of sight, before something dawned in on him. 

What exactly was his plan to get more information? It wasn’t like he was going to stumble across a laptop or something. He stopped in his tracks, musing to himself, before he felt a hand grip his shoulder, practically locking him in place. 

“Hey, you. What the fuck are you doing in my girlfriends clothes?” Rumbled the taller man, as Ren slowly looked backwards, staring eye to eye with a menacing looking man with a scar across his brow, and a nose piercing. 

_Damn it._

**~~~~~~**

Kanji had been extremely happy when he heard a guard talking about meeting ‘Naoto’, so his disappointment was immeasurable when he wandered the halls and didn’t see the love of his life, but some lanky teenager in a small suit-jacket and Naoto’s hat. He gripped the kid by the shoulder, frowning. He squinted, before it finally dawned on him. “Hey… you’re that Mama-mia guy, ain’t you? Mama-mia Ren? Of the Phantom Thieves.” 

The kid stared at him with a blank look. His face was sallow, eyes with dark bags under them, and hair that wanted to both stick to his head and puff outwards. In other words, a mess. 

“Oh, yeah, I get it. I wouldn’t admit it if I was bein’ hunted either. Listen to me though, I’m on your side. Or uh, Naoto was, but she disappeared. And now here you are, in her clothes.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “...Did you see her?” 

The kid, Ren, seemed to tense up, before looking downcast. “...I’m so sorry.” He whispered. Kanji’s eyes widened. 

“...C’mon, I’ll get you some tea, and then we can find a safe place to talk.” 

About fifteen minutes later, the two of them were sitting on buckets in a janitorial closet, teacups in hand, as Ren tried to explain what he saw. Kanji sat quietly, listening to everything that was happening, not exactly sure how to react. He was pissed off, yeah, but also horrified. Naoto was essentially dead, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. That, stacked on top of the fact that Mitsuru had been… replaced? Body-snatched? It was too confusing. Too scary. 

“I’m sorry.” Ren repeated. Kanji shook his head. 

He sniffed, rubbing at his eyes a bit. “Nah, don’t apologize. You didn’t do anythin’ wrong. I’m bettin’ that Naoto found out something she wasn’t supposed to, and Evil-rijo wanted to squash it before it got out.” He looked down, sighing. “...She’s a hell’uva lot braver than I am, that’s for sure.” 

Ren seemed confused. “Uh… sorry, but backing up for a moment. ‘Evil-rijo’?” 

“Well, it’s obviously not the real Mitsuru, right? So we need to find somethin’ else to call her, so I wanted to coin a nickname for ‘er.” 

Ren shrugged, before taking another sip of tea. “So… you’re not going to turn me in?” 

“I wasn’t before, and now that I know what I know? No fuckin’ way! I gotta make sure you get to your friends and get the hell outta here. Naoto had put some sorta faith into your guys, and I’m not lettin’ that be in vain.” He stood up, gesturing for Ren to follow behind. He peeked his head out the closet, as Yukari passed by, stopping and staring at him strangely. 

“...Good afternoon, Kanji-san…?” Yukari greeted, not exactly sure how to react. Kanji laughed. 

“Oh, uh, G’oornin’! I mean g’aftern’n? Good afternoon! Takeba-san! How’s it going? I was just looking for extra paint to uh… paint a bowl! I’m making a vase. I mean a bowl. Okay, bye!” He walked back inside the closet. 

“Aight. Change of plans. You stay here until tomorrow, and then I transport you to your friends. You leave, I show the rest of my team what happened to Naoto and Kirjo, and we fight Evil-rijo and win, and you get to ride off into the sunset. Got it?” 

Ren had a look that showed that, while he didn’t really like the plan, he didn’t seem to want to argue either. Kanji took it. “Aight, I’m going to cook you some decent food. Teddie’s been bragging about throwin’ cheap soba at you for days. How d’you feel about curry? I found a new recipe I was planning on tryin’ out.” 

Ren’s eyes seemed to turn the size of dinner plates, as he frantically nodded in excitement. Kanji smiled, before exiting the closet. “A’ight, hang on right there. You’ll be feeling so full, it’ll be insane!” 

**~~~~~~**

Yu wandered into the kitchen, looking around curiously. He had smelled something good. Not like Kirijo’s hired chefs were bad, but this was probably the closest thing that smelled like Inaba. So, he was pleasantly surprised when he saw Kanji singing to himself, moving around the kitchen with a grace that would have most people confused unless they knew the man personally. 

“Shout friends~! Somethin’, somethin’, _fe~elings_ ~♪ Ring bells~♪ Blah, blah, dun-nah-nah-nah~! Somethin’ somethin’ True Stor~y!” 

Yu knocked his knuckles against the counter. “Yo, Kanji.” 

The menacing man screamed, practically dropping the curry powder he was carrying over, barely catching it with one hand. “Ah! Fuck! Oh, senpai. It’s just you.” He wiped his brow, successfully transporting the curry powder. “You can’t scare me like that, man.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Yu chuckled, walking over. “I didn’t realize we were allowed to cook here. I could have saved so much money instead of eating out every night.” 

Kanji laughed, sheepishly, as he walked over to grab some carrots. “Honestly, I dunno if we are. I just kinda yelled at the staff to GTFO, and then started cookin’. I’m makin’ curry.” 

Yu looked over his shoulder. “...For you and Naoto? I’m only seeing you measure out enough ingredients for two servings.” Kanji seemed to tense up, before shaking his head. 

“...Help me cook, and I’ll make some for you too. And then we gotta talk.” 

Despite that weird response from Kanji, cooking with him was actually a lot of fun. He knew that his whole ordeal with Social Links was over, but he definitely felt his bond with Kanji growing that moment. Especially since they made the kitchen into their own little concert hall, Yu glad that Kanji also didn’t know the lyrics to some of their favorite songs, so they could basically just scream nonsense as everything was getting boiled and cooked. 

Eventually the curry was finished, and Kanji handed Yu a plate while carrying two of his own. “Alright, let’s go to the supply closet!” 

Yu was confused, wondering if Kanji had found some sort of animal inside the building and wanted to feed it. That did seem very ‘Kanji’ of him. And, well, the reality wasn’t too far from the truth. 

“...Hey.” Ren said, warily staring at Yu, before Kanji gave him a signal that he was to be trusted. 

“I’m Narukami Yu.” He introduced, holding out his hand for Amamiya to shake. Ren took his hand, before quickly retracting it. The boy’s eyes flashed, staring at Yu for a long moment, before smiling softly. 

“You’re like me.” He said quietly. Kanji closed the door behind them, as they all sat crowded in the closet. 

“...Wild Card power, go?” Yu said, hopefully. Ren laughed out loud, taking one of the plates from Kanji. 

“I’ve never had to say that. But… Wild Card power, go.” 

“Hah! I knew I could get someone to say it!” Yu said with a smile, as Kanji lined up some buckets for them to sit on. 

“Senpai’s cool.” Kanji began. “He’s sympathetic to y’all’s cause too. He’s also just… really nice, and admirable, and I’m super glad that he’s on our side with this.” 

Yu blushed a little, before rolling his eyes. “Geez, Kanji. Talk about pressure. But, yeah, I’m with you. Just tell me everything that you know. Apparently Kanji says you have a great deal to tell us.” 

Ren frowned, before he started to explain everything that he knew and saw, and everything that he talked with Kanji about prior as they ate their curry. A few minutes later, and Yu was speechless, mortified, and desperately racking his brain for some sort of plan. 

“We need Chie.” He said simply. “She’s the only one with direct contact to the Phantom Thieves, now. And… Kanji, I’m so sorry about--” 

Kanji shook his head. “We can cry about it later. She, uh, wouldn’t want us wastin’ time with that, I don’t think. And Chie won’t be here until tomorrow, which means if we get to her, we’d be crunched on time.” Yu nodded, rubbing him on the back, before Ren put down his plate, burping. He had looked like he hadn’t had a decent meal in days. Especially since all of his meals had been Teddie going absolutely nuts with bargain bin soba. 

“Thank you for your kindness.” He said simply. “I don’t know what I can do to repay you...” 

“Just make it back to your friends safely. You just stay tight for tonight, and Kanji and I will see if we can get you some blankets to make it more comfortable.” Yu nodded, standing up alongside Kanji. “We’ll make this right, and stop Nega-Kirijo.” 

Ren rolled his eyes, as Kanji frowned. “I dunno, Senpai, I think Evil-rijo is better.” 

“Eh, probably.” He turned to Ren with a smile. “You can trust us, right? Us Wild Cards gotta stick together.” 

“...Yeah.” Ren said, “Thank you, Narukami-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kanji was singing 'True Story', which is one of Rise's hit songs in-universe. I kind of want to imagine that he making an attempt doing the dance too, but can't because while Kanji is graceful and beautiful in every sense, he doesn't have Rise's idol skills.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9slGweQMHg
> 
> 'Wild Card Power, Go!' is a callback to Persona Q. Writing Yu is weird because he dances between 'responsible', 'team mom', and 'total dumbass' in all of his iterations. This one puts more focus on 'team mom' and 'responsible'.


	15. Life Will Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three guys paused, listening before slowly peaking out into the hallway. A young woman with short teal hair, dressed in post-apocolyptic biker gear shot past them, before slamming into Teddie, knocking him to the side. She circled around him, several boosts of incredibly hot nuclear fire emitting from her person, as Teddie flailed around, trying to keep up with her assault. A blast of ice sent her and the bike skidding backwards, landing in front of Ren and the others.
> 
> “...Queen?” Ren asked. The blue haired girl looked up, adjusting the mask on her face, before gasping.
> 
> “Ren? Why are you here? You should be- oh, wait. We can talk about this later. I’m assuming the man in a half-bear costume is our enemy?”
> 
> “Uh, yeah. That’s Teddie. He messed with some headphones and now he’s going nuts.” Yosuke mumbled. “...Are you a Phantom Thief?”
> 
> Queen cleared her throat, before hopping back onto Anat, smiling. “Yes, I am. Now, sit tight, boys. I can handle this. Hopefully.”
> 
> Ren smiled. “Go get’em, Queen. Loving the new color.”

Katsuya Suou had always strived to be on the right side of the law, and if not the right side of the law, the right side of one’s moral compass. Justice was something that didn’t always mean sticking to the books he had spent years on in school, or the time he had spent in the police academy. These kids were fighting for their own brand of justice, and the justice of their friend. And he needed to admire that. Even if he did have some issues with the logistics of the situation. Apparently most of their heists had been in an entirely new universe, and they weren’t nearly prepared to an actual heist.

This was incredibly apparent when Takamaki ended up tripping over her own whip as she tried to put on her leather boots. Which, while incredibly impressive in it’s own right, wasn’t very promising in the long run. 

He felt a light squeeze on his wrist, looking over at Maya. She gave him a weak, before clearing her throat. “Kids, are you sure this is the best way to go about this? I won’t stop you if you say yes, but we might need to take more time to prepare.” He smiled, mouthing a small ‘thank you’ towards her. He had noticed the kids had been a bit more apprehensive towards him than his companions. It was definitely because of his police background, but they had been more open and receptive towards Maya- so, she had taken it within her own hands to voice his opinions through herself, and they received it relatively well. Perhaps it was her attitude. 

Scratch that, it was definitely her attitude. Her smile could calm a raging lion. 

“No, no, we’re fine.” Takamaki insisted, rubbing her side as Sakamoto helped her up. “We can totally do this! After all, Joker is counting on us!” Takamaki wasn’t a very good actress, so it was incredibly easy to see her lack of confidence in the mission. That being said, she did seem incredibly serious about saving… Joker. Of all the codenames, did they have to use that one? He grimaced, glancing over at Maya. She clearly had some deep-set hesitations about saving ‘Joker’ as well, although they were both trying to remind themselves that they were trying to save Amamiya. Not Sudou. An innocent, not a murderer. 

Kitagawa, in all of his wisdom, noticed their reactions. “...Is everything right, Amano-sensei? Suou-sensei?” He rumbled. “You seem perturbed.” 

“Just considering the irony of your leaders codename. That’s all.” Katsuya replied, “We’ve come in contact with a Joker in our past as well…” He shrugged, as if considering the situation much less important than it actually was. Yusuke raised an eyebrow, before shrugging and returning to putting in on his mask, either disinterested in pushing further or simply satisfied with the answer he received. 

Niijima, however, wasn’t. 

“Yeah, I did some research. Mainly just to background check you two, but I asked my Sis and looked at some old case files. Apparently there was a serial killer who went by the name ‘JOKER’. He was terrifying, relentless, wore a paper bag over his head. He died under mysterious circumstances.” 

Maya and Katsuya exchanged looks once more. Tatsuya. 

Sakamoto’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Well, that’s just bad luck on our Jokers end. I swear, he’s nothin’ like that!” 

“We have a good feeling you’re right.” Maya chuckled, shaking her head. “After all, Sudou didn’t have friends who were as dedicated to him like your Joker. It’s just… it gives us memories of a dark time.” 

An uncomfortable silence hung over the group, before Maya clapped her hands together. “Kids, kids! We’re about to do a freaking movie heist! Perk up! Let’s think positive!” Everyone looked around, before the mood seemed to swell again, as if magic. Katsuya raised an eyebrow. 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had the ability to change hearts.” 

Maya gave him a faux surprised look. “Oh, you didn’t know?” He rolled his eyes, running a hand through his hair, before taking a deep breath. 

“Well. No time like the present. Everyone ready?” He looked around at the practically legendary Phantom Thieves of Hearts. It was still shocking that they were a group of normal teenagers. They gossiped, texted, wasted time like it was their job, and yet underneath all of their masks, he could see such resolve it was almost scary. Somewhere, they had becomed hardened like his younger brother, yet somehow they managed to maintain a sense of cheerfulness. 

Perhaps it was because they had started and ended everything together, instead of attempting to act by themselves. 

Sakura stumbled downstairs, holding up a pair of headphones with the Phantom Thieves signature logo on them. “Ta-da~a! The one and only pair of P-Phones! It either stands for ‘Phantom’ or ‘Persona’, I haven’t decided yet. Anyways, we get these to Ren, and he’ll be able to summon with no stress! Or, less stress.” Takamaki took them from her, looking them over. 

“Wow, these are great, Futaba! Ryuji and I’ll get them to Ren! Don’t worry!” 

The cat hopped up on LeBlanc’s counter, and began one of his long speeches. He and Maya stood there complacently. If Morgana was speaking, that usually meant that they weren’t the targets of his ‘wisdom’, so they had generally resigned to just watching the reactions of the other Thieves as they listened intently. Eventually he was finished, and Sakamoto- ‘Skull’- took up the mantle. 

“Uh, I know this is gonna be really effin’ tough without Joker. The guy could use any Persona in the book, and now he’s stuck. He was also probably our best stratigest outside’a Queen. We’re also goin’ up against some allegedly strong Persona-users, if Chie was bein’ honest, but she also managed to convince some of them to be on our side. She said ta’ look out for a dopey lookin’ guy in headphones, a idiot in a bear suit, and… legendary idol Risette? So, uh, keep that in mind. I’m not all sappy like Mona is, but uh, one last thing to remember. We might not be as strong as we was back in the Metaverse, but we all got some upgraded Personas, and those Personas are like carryin’ a part of Ren with us, right?” 

The group nodded, as Sakamoto raised his pipe in the air. “Aight! Let’s kick some ass!” 

~~~~~~ 

She stared up at the Kirijo building, the countless floors practically taunting her. Maya took a deep breath, clutching her stuffed rabbit in her hands, practically wringing it out. “Okay, Katsuya. Remember the plan. Don’t mess up the plan. We need to get Ren out of here.” She shoved the rabbit back in her purse, before gripping Katsuya’s hand. 

_”Are you all set, Maya? You’ve got Mona with you, right?”_

“I’m all set!” Morgana replied from the bag slung over Katsuya’s shoulder. 

“He just meowed something, so I’m going to assume that’s a yes.” Katsuya mumbled, before kissing Maya on the cheek. “Don’t panic. Just be yourself. Or, you know, the distracting version of yourself that this mission requires you to be.” 

She chuckled, leaning against him. “Yeah, no pressure, right? Just commiting a B&E on one of the largest companies in the world.” 

“If you act serious for one second, they’ll realize you’re an intelligent, capable woman and instantly see through our plan.” 

“Don’t even joke about that! God, what if-” 

“Maya. Let’s think positive.” 

“...Hah. Hearing you say that definitely confirms that I’m stressed. Alright, let’s do this. Alpha Team is going in.” They strolled inside, immedietely heading towards one of the help desks that Futaba mapped out as being one of the closest routes to the security cameras. Maya leaned against the desk. “Hello? Good afternoon. My name is Amano Maya, and I’m here for an interview with Kirijo Mitsuru? I’m writing a piece about ‘The Struggles of Young Entrepreneurs’, and Kirijo is one of the youngest entrepreneurs I’ve heard of. I mean--” 

The bored looking man at the desk furrowed his brow. “Kirijo-san can’t speak right now. She’s… busy.” 

“Busy with what? She’s not too good for the media, is she? I just saw her on the news last week! You can’t be serious. Are you serious?” 

Katsuya rolled his eyes, before slowly lowering his bag to the ground, the black cat skittering out. Several of the security instantly whipped into action, grabbing several batons and attempting to chase the cat out of the building. Maya grimaced. Security was going this nuts over a cat? How paranoid was Kirijo? "I mean... this cat is different, but she wouldn't have known that..." She whispered to herself, as Morgana made a break for the surveillance room, before being scooped up by Chie. 

“Gotcha! Sorry, loose cat. I’m going to take it in the back so it doesn’t cause any trouble. I mean, what are the odds of a cat getting in he-” 

“Just move!” Morgana hissed. 

“I can’t understand you but I can hear your urgency- heading ba~ck!” She opened up the door to the surveillance room, the worker manning the cameras turning around with a start. 

“Oh, Satonaka-san. Don’t burst in like that. Kirijo-san didn’t tell me you would be coming around this way, is there some sort of--” He was cut off with a swift chop to the neck, before quickly shuffling around him and sitting down at the console. 

“What do I do? What do I do?” Chie asked. 

_”Mona’s collar has a flash drive on it. You should see a blue USB port. Plug it in, and then I’ll do my thing. There are about a dozen different surveillance stations, I just need access to this one and we’ll be in the clear!”_

Chie plucked the USB off of Morgana’s collar, before sliding it into the port. “Alright! Man, I feel like a real character in a heist movie! You know, in movies like this, the heist people are always the good guys.” 

“Man, I hope so…” Morgana muttered.” 

~~~~~~ 

_”Naoto is still not here, and I just lost my connection to Chie. Which shouldn’t be possible unless she’s like… actually just ignoring me. I’m barely able to use Kouzeon in the first place, so she’s literally just making this more of a pain.”_ Rise muttered. _”Yu, don’t tell me you all are actually going through with double-crossing us? Like, after you literally told us you weren’t double-crossing us.”_

Yu shook his head, pacing down one of the hallways. “Maybe she’s just in the bathroom. Maybe all of her concentration is on peeing.” 

_”Yu...”_

“I’m running patrol, aren’t I? Looking out for any pesky Phantom Thieves that try to come here. Besides, you guys slapped sensors all over the place, and upped security by 200% or something.” He opened up the closet that Ren was hiding in, checking to see if the teenager was okay. The shaggy-haired boy gave him a thumbs-up, as Yu moved over to sit next to him for a moment. 

_”300%. Mitsuru said so in this morning’s briefing. I really hope you’re not lying to me, Yu…”_

“And I hope we’re doing the right thing. If Kouzeon is a pain, hop on the radio line, I’m going to bug Yosuke.” He unclipped a walkie talkie from his waist. “This is Kingpin to Trashbin, over. You ready for this, partner? Over.” 

Yosuke’s voice crackled out the other end. “You bet! Uh, over. Although why does my codename have to be Trashbin? Over. I feel like I got shafted in this, over.” 

“Because Chie picked it, Yosuke. Also, this is a public line, so please stop flirting.” Yukiko’s voice chimed in. “This is fun, though! I feel like some kind of yakuza tough or something! Do you think I could get a tattoo?” 

“First of all, ‘Princess’, I feel like us acting as security makes us the opposite of yakuza. Over.” 

“You don’t need to say ‘over’ after everything, Trashbin. We know when you’ve finished talking.” Rise quipped, hopping onto a more efficient form of communication. 

“Woah… Idol-chan is so cool! Take that, Trashbin!” Teddie chuckled. 

“Wow, look who’s all high and mighty since she was given the orders to summon her Persona without a splitting headache like Ted. Could you suck up to Kirijo some more and tell her to give us all permission to turn down the voltage on the damn headphones?” Kanji snarled, leading against the wall on the floor he was supposed to be patrolling. 

“What’s your deal? First of all, she only let me modify mine since Kouzeon doesn’t have any combat potential, so it takes less concentration or something to maintain. Oh, wait… hang on.” Rise mumbled. “Kouzeon is picking up something approaching the Kirijo Building. Fast. It’s a vehicle! Or… a Persona? And two unknown persons! Can we get some people in the main lobby!?” 

“Isn’t Chie down there?” Yosuke asked. 

“Seriously? Wasn’t Chie the one who was intentionally trying to betray us? Why’d we put her down there?” 

“Because she was late, and the lobby sucks.” Kanji mumbled over the radio line, the rest of the Investigation Team wincing at the intense amount of feedback he somehow managed to produce. 

Yosuke groaned. “Yeah, and then we all changed our minds and became better friends! She’s got this, anyway. Have some faith, Rise!” 

Yu turned off his radio, putting it to the side. He frowned, shaking his head. He knew deep down he was making the right choices, but it still hurt to see his friends divided. And it especially hurt that Yosuke had so much faith in him. His friends bonds were incredibly important, and he couldn’t help but feel like he was putting unneeded tension on those bonds with this entire mission. He just wanted it to be over as soon as possible. He felt a nudge on the arm. 

“You’re worried about your friends.” Ren said, simply. Yu nodded. “...Me too. They’re about to do all of this for me, but what if they get hurt? If I was stronger then...” 

Yu chuckled. “We’re strong enough. What’s the whole deal with Wild Cards, we hold a ton of faces within us? Guess we just gotta find our bravest one and put it on.” He held up his own pair of Persona-summoning headphones, closing his eyes. “I haven’t spoken to Igor in a while, now that I think about it. I wonder…” 

His radio buzzed to life. Rise’s voice coming out of it frantically. “Okay, that Persona-thing is heading straight for Chie! Can we at least get her some backup?” 

“I got this.” Yu said, standing up before putting on the headphones. “I’ll make sure your friends don’t get hurt.” He winked, before quickly exiting the room. 

~~~~~~ 

_”I’ve got control of the cameras! They’re stuck on loop. This is all you, Queen! Make a splash in that pool! And by pool, I mean lobby.”_

Queen tucked a strand of dyed hair behind her ear, as she shot forwards on Anat’s ‘bike’ form. Fox gripped at her back, holding on for dear life as they shot towards the front door of the lobby, shattering the glass before doing donuts in the center. She wasn’t afraid of crashing. Johanna and Anat were both perfectly in-tune with her mind, which meant that driving was going to be a cakewalk. They both hopped off. 

“I am Queen of the Phantom Thieves!” She yelled. While she was worried about people recognizing her voice, Ann and Mona’s incredible advice had just been ‘talk deeper’. As if that would help. “Civilians, do not be alarmed. We are going to need you all to exit! Now.” 

Fox nodded, holding up his model assault rifle, and grabbing Maya. “I have now taken this random woman hostage. She and her compatriot must stay here, everybody else will leave, or else they will be hurt. We are simply going to stop the corruption of Kirijo, and then be on our way.” 

The initial panic of the motorcycle bursting in had faded, before instantly ramping up as Yusuke pressed the model gun against Maya’s head. The civilians screamed and sprinted out of the building, as Chie leaped over one of the desks. 

“Halt, Phantom Thieves! I’ll never allow you to meet Mitsuru! I’m going to stop you, right here, right now!” She threw a kick at nothing, shouting. 

Queen pointed her model revolver towards Chie. “Then you support injustice, and shall fall by our hands! We mean no harm to anybody- I can not stress that enough for any of the cameras pointed at us- we only mean harm to corruption and the cruelness of humanity!” 

The two of them continued their long-winded, faux-heroic banter for a while longer, as Yu made it to the lobby, readying his headphones. The white-haired man shrugged, sliding them over his head. “So, are we supposed to fake fight, or what? Oh, and I have something really important to tell you about Amamiya and Kirijo.” He said, as Chie returned the shrug. Queen rolled her eyes, before nodding towards Fox. 

“Stay put. I’m heading to Kirijo.” She said, hopping back on Anat and bolting towards the stairwell. 

_”Okay, we have a standstill in the lobby, which means we can easily clear an exit path for Ren. How’s Team Skull?”_

~~~~~~ 

“Kind of sweaty, but fine. Queen and Fox’s distraction let us sneak in through the back.” He pulled out his phone. “Based on the map you gave us, Ren is… really deep underground. Like, three stories. We’re gonna need to take an elevator for this.” 

“This costume was not made for stairs.” Ann agreed. “Besides, up and down. That’s two trips in like, a fraction of the time!” 

They wandered around the back, knowing by the dramatic shouting where not to go, before reaching an elevator. Ryuji punched the button, before gesturing for Ann to enter, and following behind. 

“Which floor?” He asked. 

“Iunno, if he’s three stories down, then maybe the button that’s the third-most down from us?” 

“...Makes sense.” He punched the button, before they slowly started making their way down. 

_Skull, Panther! I’m detecting something on the elevator!”_

Ann chuckled. “Uh, Futaba, we’re alone in here. Like, totally alone.” 

_”Not in the elevator, on it! Above you!”_

Right on cue, one of the top panels of the elevator was ripped off, revealing a pair of blue glowing eyes in the darkness. The two thieves screamed, Ann wildly waving her whip around in a panic, as Ryuji frantically swung his pipe upwards. A figure dropped down quickly, as Ann and Ryuji stared at a robotic girl adorned with several weapons. 

“Are you the Phantom Thieves?” Aigis asked. 

“If we say no, will you leave us alone?” Ann asked. 

Aigis immediately flew into action, grabbed Ryuji by the throat and slamming him into a wall, before being hit by a burst of fire from Ann. She grabbed them both, slamming them together like ragdolls. A blue light flared from her, before an angelic figure rose forth. “Helel! Morning St-” 

Ann threw her hands forwards “Tentarafoo!” 

Aigis stumbled backwards, grabbing at her head as the Persona faded away. The elevator dinged as it reached it’s floor. 

Ann and Ryuji dove out, before he summoned his own Persona. “Seiten Taisei! Zionga!” A surge of electricity shot through the elevator, as the door slammed and locked shut, before continuing downwards. 

They reached the final hallway, for what they could assume where their leader had been held. A man stepped out, rolling his shoulders back and sliding on some boxing gloves. “...So, are you guys the ones that are here to change my heart? I mean, I don’t know how you Thieves communicate, but your leader told me you got the message.” 

There was an incredibly long beat of silence, before Ryuji decided to attempt to clear the air with a well-intentioned ‘what the hell are you talking about about’, before Ann elbowed him in the ribs, watching as he doubled over before she took over. 

“Ye~es! That is exactly why we, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, are here! To take your, yes- your, heart! We just need you to take us to our leader, and then we can finally do the whole heart-stealing magic!” She said, earnestly trying to sound convincing, and failing at literally every aspect of it. Akihiko rubbed his chin, before shaking his head. 

“No can do, your leader escaped.” He said, simply. 

Ann blinked. “Uh, what?” 

“He ran away like, yesterday. We can confirm he’s still in the building, but he’s hiding pretty well. Guess that’s typical of a Phantom Thief, though.” 

“That’s our Ren-Ren, I guess.” Ryuji coughed, standing up. “Well, shit. Now what do we do?” 

His question was soon answered as he was knocked to the very end of the hallway by an extremely fast moving object, screaming as Aigis slammed him into the ajar back room, starting to pummel him mercilessly. Ann screamed, sprinting past Akihiko and over to the two of them. “Come, Hecate! Agilao!” She commanded, as a fireball hurtled into the room with them, as the screaming seemed to subside for a moment as light filled the room. 

And then Ryuji began screaming for a different reason. 

“Holy shit! That’s a dead body! Those are dead bodies! God- fuck- Ziodyne!” Lightning seemed to flash as Aigis was booted from the room, her own eyes wide in apparent shock at what they had discovered. The blonde weapon slowly stood up, as Akihiko and Ann caught up. 

“Wait, are we done fighting?” Akihiko asked, “...Does that mean I don’t get my heart changed?” 

“I do not think you need to have a change of heart, Akihiko-san. You are plenty noble. Although recent events are causing me to believe that Mitsuru-san may be in need of one. These are the bodies of Shirogane Naoto and Kirijo Mitsuru. No doubt about it.” She fully opened the door to the dark room, revealing everything inside. Ryuji pressed against the wall- perfusely bleeding from Aigis’ assault, staring at two emaciated forms with a look of pure terror on his face. 

“Holy shit… it’s like what happened with Okumura, but they’re still alive…” He whispered. 

Akihiko stepped inside. He stared at Mitsuru’s body for a moment, eyes narrowing, before slowly picking her up. Her bony fingers gripped onto whatever fabric it could, clinging onto him like a parasite. “...I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. It seems like we’ve been tricked.” He said, quietly. He turned to the two Phantom Thieves. “I’m going to take Mitsuru out of the building, somewhere safe. We can fix this. One of you follow with Naoto. Aigis, you go to the Mitsuru that’s been bossing us around and handle it.” He commanded, starting to leave without a second glance. Ryuji picked up Naoto, before starting to limp behind. 

“...You got this Ann? Robo-chick kinda kicked my ass. I’m… not gonna risk it much further.” 

Ann looked over at Aigis, who was glaring upwards- presumably at the top floor. She nodded. “You sit back and recover, Ryuji. We’ll get to the bottom of this, and find Ren!” She winked, before walking over to the Anti-Shadow Weapon. Aigis sighed, closing her eyes. 

“...We were played for fools. I should have realized something was wrong… but she never registered as a threat or a Shadow. Just a friend.” She mumbled to herself, solemnly. “And even still, she isn’t to blame for my cruelty. I took things too far, and assisted in desecrating my team.” 

Ann didn’t know how to respond. Her arms idly swinging as she thought of what to possibly say to a robot to make it feel better. “...Well, maybe we can start making things right between everybody by kicking Anti-Kirijo’s butt?” 

Aigis stared. “I agree with that sentiment, but… Anti-Kirijo seems a bit childish of a name. I had been thinking _Usorijou_.” 

“Huh? But you can barely tell who we’re talking about then. Maybe just Kirijo-Two?” She suggested, as Aigis started heading for the stairs, running at a pace that was possible for Panther to keep up with, although it wasn’t easy. 

“Whoever it is, and whatever we call it, we will show it what happens when we are tricked!” Aigis yelled, breaking into a sprint. 

~~~~~~ 

Ren couldn’t wait any longer. He found himself bursting out of the broom closet, and finding himself between a rock and a hard place. The Junes Bear and Hanamura had wandered down to the floor he was on to double-check Yu’s post. Kanji had wandered upwards with some cup noodles just to see if Ren was hungry. The Junes Bear spoke up, after a long beat of silence. 

“Woah! There’s that Mama-mia guy that ate off the floor!” He screeched. Ren winced, closing himself back inside of the closet, before hearing the battle cry of: ‘I’ll handle this! Bearsona! Or, uh, Persona!’, and then a solid fifteen seconds of pained screaming. He slowly opened the door, as Hanamura found himself backing away from his former compatriot. The Junes Bear had decided to ditch the costume, but was still just as unsettling. His eyes flashed between what Ren could have assumed was a normal blue, and a sickening black color, before the Junes Bear’s Persona slowly formed, and instantly began firing a barrage of ice, striking anything and everything. 

“Teddie! Calm down!” Yosuke yelled, before getting slammed by a particularly powerful Bufudyne, sending him flying backwards towards Kanji, who caught his friend at the expense of the cup noodles. 

There wasn’t a response from Teddie except more ice, the temperature in the hallway starting to plummet downwards. So, Kanji came up with the perfect solution. Hide himself, Ren, and Yosuke inside the closet until Teddie either forgot where they were, or got bored and left. 

Once they were inside, Yosuke narrowed his eyes at Kanji. “...Were you getting food for the literal hostage?” 

Kanji chuckled, shrugging. “Sorry, Yosuke-senpai. Turns out he’s not a bad kid, and the Phantom Thieves are the bad guys. Actually, Mitsuru is the bad guy, because she’s not really Mitsuru, she’s a… well, we don’t really know what Evil-rijo is.” 

The brown-haired man groaned, hitting his head against the wall and sighing. “I can’t believe we actually got double-crossed. Does that mean Yu was lying to me, too?” 

Kanji nervously rubbed the back of his head. Ren spoke up. 

“Narukami-san didn’t enjoy it, if that makes you feel better.” He commented, before Yosuke yelled, quickly pulling out a kunai and pointing it right at Ren. 

“It doesn’t! Jeez! You can shut up, while Kanji and I figure out what the hell to do with Ted. Lemme guess, Naoto told you to team up with the other guys, because she has all the balls in your relationship.” Yosuke shouted, as the barrage of ice seemed to continue down the hallway, a chunk of it slamming into the door of the closet as Kanji’s eyes narrowed. “I mean, all she does is boss you around, and you just prance around and take it. Why don’t you actually man up for once and--” He was quickly stopped by a punch to the face, as he was knocked against one of the shelves, several bottles of cleaning suplies toppling on top of him. 

“Naoto is dead, asshole!” Kanji yelled. “Or, at least really close to it! So how about you shut up, and listen to me for once!” 

Yosuke sat up, stunned. “Wait… Naoto’s what?” 

“That fake Kirijo did something to the real Mitsuru and Naoto. They’re in some kind of painful trance. I’d say extremely close to death, if we’re not careful.” Ren explained. 

Yosuke looked between the two of them, before putting away his kunai. “...You’re being serious, huh. I… Kanji, I didn’t mean that stuff. I was just--” 

The larger man shook his head, standing up. “Whatever. Somethin’s up with those headphones, so we can’t use our Personas. We need to find a way to deal with Teddie, or else we’ll all be dead for real.” He picked up a bucket, before hearing the roar of an engine coming down the hallway. “...Wait, what the hell is that?” 

The three guys paused, listening before slowly peaking out into the hallway. A young woman with short teal hair, dressed in post-apocolyptic biker gear shot past them, before slamming into Teddie, knocking him to the side. She circled around him, several boosts of incredibly hot nuclear fire emitting from her person, as Teddie flailed around, trying to keep up with her assault. A blast of ice sent her and the bike skidding backwards, landing in front of Ren and the others. 

“...Queen?” Ren asked. The blue haired girl looked up, adjusting the mask on her face, before gasping. 

“Ren? Why are you here? You should be- oh, wait. We can talk about this later. I’m assuming the man in a half-bear costume is our enemy?” 

“Uh, yeah. That’s Teddie. He messed with some headphones and now he’s going nuts.” Yosuke mumbled. “...Are you a Phantom Thief?” 

Queen cleared her throat, before hopping back onto Anat, smiling. “Yes, I am. Now, sit tight, boys. I can handle this. Hopefully.” 

Ren smiled. “Go get’em, Queen. Loving the new color.” 

Makoto blushed, before driving back towards the bear-serk opponenet, firing a few more quick bursts of Frei towards him. She was conserving her energy, it seemed like. Although that training with Maya and Katsuya must have worked wonders for his team- or at least her- if she was able to fight like this. He winced as she slammed the bike into the bear, watching as Teddie went flying through a wall, and the attack stopped for a moment. She drove back to Ren. “I’m heading up to Kirijo. You need to get out of here.” 

“I’m coming.” Ren shook his head. “I can’t sit back any more, not with what I know. I need to help.” 

“You can help us by making it out safely. Once you get out of here, the mission is over, and we head back to Boss’ to rest up.” 

Ren froze. He hadn’t even considered how worried Sojiro was. The guy could be a bit of a hardass at times, but Sojiro had practically taken him in as a son. “I… I’m sorry, Makoto, but as your leader, I’m going to need to come with you.” 

“Me too!” Kanji said, stepping out of the closet. “We gotta stop that fake Kirijo before she messes up anyone else!” 

“Fake Kirijo?” Queen asked. Ren shrugged. 

“I’ll explain on the way up.” 

The biker relented, scooting up slightly on Anat so that Ren could hop on behind her. Kanji, realizing that he wouldn’t be able to fit as well, relagated himself to just running behind them. 

Yosuke grabbed Kanji’s shoulder before he could leave. “...I really am sorry. What I said was super freakin’ messed up. Go on, and avenge your girl. I’ll try and warn the others about the headphones before Ted gets back up.” He sprinted in the opposite direction, down the steps, as Kanji followed behind the two Phantom Thieves. 

~~~~~~ 

“And this, Okumura-san, is where all of the beautiful business happens here with the Kirijo Groups Tokyo Branch. Meetings upon meetings, each one changing the world one step at a time! You’ll surely be in here some day, perhaps even when you start college you’ll be called in for these world-changing meetings.” 

Haru had her most polite expression on, simply nodding along with what the guide was saying. She had gotten used to this. Adults droning on and on about the buisiness empire she was supposed to take on. It was tiring. She glanced backwards, watching through several of the glass windows as security guards made their rounds. 

“Futaba-chan, how close am I to Mitsuru?” She whispered, as the tour guide turned around. 

“Ah, did I hear you ask about how close you are to Kirijo-san? Well, she is an entire two floors away, at the pinnacle of this building! The only floor above her is the roof, adorned with a beautiful greenhouse, and a signal tower! It’s quite the sight, did you want to look at the roof? I heard you were a fan of gardening at school!” 

As intriguing as a greenhouse sounded, she had a mission to fulfil. “I was actually wondering if I could get a meeting with Kirijo-san? Today, if possible. I would like to get acquainted with her, seeing as my Father can not.” 

The guide adjusted her tie uncomfortably, “Ah, yes, your father…” She grimaced for a moment, before regaining her composure. “As much as I would love to help you on that front, I simply can’t. Not today. Kirijo-san is feeling… unwell, and isn’t able to see anyone today. I will let the staff know of your interest, however. It’s honestly so delightful you’re taking everything in such stride! You certainly are a strong young woman.” 

Haru shrugged, giggling, before hearing an increasingly loud noise approach the two of them. Wheels thumping against steps, before finally skidding onto flat ground, and the sound of an incredibly powerful vehicle hurtling towards them. Anat slowed to a halt, stalling next to Haru and the guide, with a winded-looking Ren holding onto her waist for dear life. Haru gasped. 

“Ren-kun! You’re okay!” 

Her leader winced. “Not for long if Queen doesn’t slow down…” He rested his head against her back. “Queen-senpai, please have mercy…” Another man slowly made his way up the steps, panting. 

“Christ… you kids are fast… hang the hell on, dammit!” Kanji yelled, before jogging to try and catch up with them. 

Makoto rolled her eyes, gesturing for Haru to hop on. There wasn’t much space left on the bike, and her and Ren would be certainly cramped close together. Still, without hesitation, she hopped on and held onto Ren, making a daisy-chain of Phantom Thieves. Makoto passed over her black mask, as she slid it over her face, before making eye contact with the guide. The tour guide sputtered, pressing her back against the wall as she stared at the three Thieves, terrified. Haru held up one finger to her lips, before winking. 

“No one will ever believe you.” She whispered, before Makoto revved the engine on her Persona, and they continued their trek upwards. 

~~~~~~ 

The thing that had currently claimed the identity of Kirijo Mitsuru sat calmly at her desk, a chessboard set out in front of her. She had modified the rules a bit, setting it so that the black pieces only had a queen on the board, and the white pieces had all of their ranks. Then, slowly, move after move, she slowly inched the queen towards a checkmate. 

Kujikawa Rise slowly entered the office, the faint outline of her Persona shimmering behind her. She smoothed out her skirt, before speaking. 

“The Phantom Thieves are making incredible progress through the building.” She reported. 

“I know.” Mitsuru replied calmly, looking up from her game. “That’s fine. Tell all of your friends that they can stop.” 

Rise seemed confused. The poor thing. She had been so intent on loyalty and trust this entire time, and just like all the others, it turned out to be her fatal flaw. Humanity was so filled with contridictions and meaningless platitudes, so high up on their soapboxes spouting nothing but fluff and garbage. Of course, until things got complicated, or scary, or dangerous, or even attempted to inch out of the norm. Then humans panic, show their true selves and get rid of the pathetic heroic masks that they planned on wearing. She waved her hand to the side slightly. “Move a bit to the left, dear. It’s not safe to stand in front of the door.” 

Rise shuffled to the side, before- as if entirely planned- Makoto, Ren, Kanji, and Haru burst through the door. They seemed to spring into action, the Niijima girl rolling off to the side as her Persona unfolded from a flashy bike to a flashy automaton. The Okumura heir rolled off to the other direction, yelling as her own Persona flared to life, Astarte circling around her like a satellite. Kanji simply picked up the largest object he could- being an extremely expensive wooden chair- and held it menacingly towards her. Ren didn’t act, simply staring her down with a look that could kill. 

“You’re going to pay for this.” He snarled, his own pathetic Persona trying to form. Arsene flickered behind him, like a candle desperately trying to emit light during a snowstorm. Poor thing. He must have been working himself so hard. 

“Just what I’d expect from a Joker.” ‘Mitsuru’ announced. “Such drive! Once I wrap up this little phase, I am going to have a field day with you.” Ren opened his mouth to speak again, as she held up a finger, signaling him to stop. “Hang on, we have a few more coming.” Again, as if timed perfectly, Aigis and Ann found their way into the room, both of them summoning Athena and Hecate respectively. 

“I’m assuming that’s everybody? Well, obviously not everybody, but everybody I need.” ‘Mitsuru’ got up, walking around her desk before casually picking up her rapier. All eyes were on her. All of them filled with betrayal, anger, hatred… it was beautiful in a sense. The creature took a deep breath, before striking faster than any of the Persona-users could register. A streak of red and black, before Haru found herself violently gasping as the rapier dug into her chest, fully piercing through her. 

That brought back memories. 

The faux-leader of the Shadow Operatives quickly removed the rapier, watching with a smile as Haru dropped to the ground, grasping at her wound. A cry of _‘Freidyne!’_ over her shoulder. She simply moved out of the way, as the nuclear fire stuck the heiress instead, sending Haru into even more convulsions of pain. 

Stunned silence, as ‘Mitsuru’ turned around to face everyone else. Makoto covered her mouth, tears welling up as she was seemingly locked in shock. The others didn’t know what move to make. It seemed reasonable. They were used to tiny strike teams and having full control of their power. They were outside of their element, outside of the robotic Wild Card, and Aigis seemed hesitant to fight in the first place. The impostor quirked a brow, before chuckling. “Oh, is it my turn again? Alright. Megidolaon.” She snapped her fingers, as giant orbs of light formed from the outside of top floor windows, before several large beams rocketed in, each one striking the stunned Persona-wielders. 

The false Mitsuru rolled her shoulders back as her opponents slowly stumbled their way to their feet. She laughed, her voice distorting into a mangled, maniacal rumble. 

“You should be honored. After all, you’re going to die at the mercy of the _Crawling Chaos_ before anyone else. Goodbye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was definietly one of the busier chapters I've written- about 3x as long as a normal one too. So! I'm going to do a quick recap to clear up where everyone is, and what everyone's doing just in case people are still a bit confused.
> 
> =
> 
> Outside of the building: Futaba, Akihiko and Ryuji. Lisa and Eikichi got benched.
> 
> Lobby: Maya, Katsuya, Chie, Yusuke, Yu and Morgana.
> 
> Unknown: Yukiko, Yukari, and Junpei (patrolling the building), Fukka (unknown)
> 
> Top Floor/Mitsuru's Office: Ren, Makoto, Haru, Rise, Aigis, Ann, and Kanji - getting ready to throw down.
> 
> Yosuke's doing his own thing, trying to warn about the headphones.
> 
> Teddie's bear-serk.
> 
> =
> 
> The next chapter is probably where I personally decided Ground Zero 'starts'. I don't really want to call Chapters 1-15 a prologue, since that devalues them a little bit, but 16 is the most combat focused, and where the plot shifts from 'Persona-users vs Persona-users' to 'uh oh'.
> 
> So buckle in. You're not through with me yet!


	16. The Crawling Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cursed flames began to surround him once again, as he practically dug inside his soul for Satanael. His knees shook, his head feeling like it was seconds from exploding. He was terrified, as the flames grew wilder and he found himself inching closer to either success or utter failure.
> 
> And then… it clicked. He felt the massive presence behind him, as Satanael revealed itself in it’s true splendor. The two gigantic Persona’s flanked the now comparatively small, false form of Kirijo Mitsuru. The massive Persona cocked its gun, pointing it at the monster. Ren smiled, as the energy began to gather. 
> 
> “Sanada-san!” Ren yelled. “On the count of three, we finish this! Consider this your redemption!” 
> 
> “Whatever you say, kid! Let’s turn this monster into dust!” Akihiko replied, Caesar’s sword raising for another attack.

Ren wasn’t prepared.

He had always believed his team was capable, and to an extent, they were. They had all adapted to their powers so quickly, that he might have been able to argue that they were prodigies. Of course, compared to the other adults surrounding his team, and the fact that the fake Kirijo had played with them to the point where Haru was a writhing mess on the floor… well, he was starting to have his doubts. He stumbled to his feet, the Megidoloan leaving him dazed. He rocked back and forth, before he saw a figure run past him, snarling. Kanji swung the chair he held at the monster, missing as it deftly dodged out of the way using Mitsuru’s lithe form. 

“I’ll fuckin’ destroy ya’ for what you did to Naoto! You, you frea-” The punk screamed, before a hand clasped against his mouth. The arm seemed to sprout purely from the false Mitsuru’s back, as it began to ooze and expand, going from simply blocking Kanji from talking to starting to overtake his face, choking him alive. The beast spoke, as the features of its face began to melt away, slowly fading away into nothing, just leaving a smooth palette- the only remaining details being that of Mitsuru’s red hair framing the blank face. 

“I prefer Nyarlathotep.” It said simply, ducking out of the way of a fireball. Ren watched as Ann pulled herself to her feet, as the fires of Hecate began whipping around her at a ferocity he hadn’t expected from his teammate. This was the type of strength that he had seen during their fight with Yaldabaoth. A fully awakened Persona- the real sign that her force of will had gone into full bloom. Ann threw her hand forwards, her pigtails whipping around by the growing force of her attack. Her Persona lunged forwards, the two beasts it held on chains starting to vibrate and bounce uncontrollably before bursting into a violent flame. He got a look at her eyes, as they flashed the same Shadow-esque yellow upon awakening, before she roared. 

“Blazing Inferno!” She screamed, her voice breaking at the end, the mass of fire barreling towards Nyarlathotep. The monster stared at her, before simply moving Kanji up as a shield. The flames engulfed him, and the screams he emitted were terrifying. He was dropped onto the ground, thrashing about as he tried to extinguish fires that could rival hell itself. They weren’t going away easily. Ann had put her all into that one attack, and Ren ran over as fast as he could to catch his teammate, who passed out with a whimper, her Persona fading backwards. 

Nyarlathotep chuckled. “So, that’s the power of the new generation? Friendly fire upon friendly fire? Contradiction over contradiction. You care so much about the well-being of others, but you hardly think about working as a team before attacking.” They laughed, walking over and grinding their heel onto Kanji’s chest, before kicking him away with an unprecedented amount of force. The large man slammed into the wall, crumpling. Helpless, as his voice grew more hoarse from screaming. 

Aigis stepped forwards, eyes narrowed. “The creature is right. We refuse to work together, and suffer for it. We must stand together.” She threw her arms forwards, as they opened up and started to whirl, preparing a round of weaponry. Rise, Makoto, and Ren steadily limped towards her, standing in a line. “We are used to working in squadrons of four, correct? This should be easy.” 

Rise laughed wryly. “Kouzeon isn’t a combat Persona, and I can’t get a read on this thing. I would assume fire, if it’s assuming Mitsuru’s form but…” 

“It hardly reacted to Ann’s flames.” Ren finished. “And… I don’t think I can summon my Persona. Not well enough to fight.” 

Makoto grimaced. “I… I still have some energy left. This is new to me, but just give me the call, and I’ll light her up with Anat! Once I get some damage in, you attack!” Aigis nodded, before simply pointing one hand forwards, and Makoto hopped onto her Persona, charging towards Nyarlathotep with seemingly reckless abandon. She quickly banked to the side, resulting in several quick, violent donuts around the creature as she released a barrage of nuclear attacks, the bursts of energy striking from every angle. 

Makoto was strong. Ren knew that for a fact. She was one of the few members on his team that could cover any role she was assigned, and could definitely give him a run for his money as far as power went. That being said, she wasn’t invincible, and outside of the Metaverse, the fact that she was human became incredibly apparent. The more she circled, the fainter her Persona became. Her own body was beginning to shiver, before it finally hit Ren. That monster wasn’t attacking. It was simply standing there, watching as Makoto exhausted herself. It had lost its face, but he could feel the smug aura radiating from it. Then, it happened so suddenly. 

Its hand snapped outwards, gripping Makoto by the face before slamming her into the ground. A mass of darkness swirled above her, before slamming into her back, sending her rocketing floors downwards. He swore he heard something crack. He desperately hoped it wasn’t her. 

His body reacted before his mind did, the form of Arsene bursting from behind him and sending forth a powerful wave of Curse energy. It circled the monster, almost striking, before rippling and being sent backwards with ease, slamming into the shaggy-haired teen and sending him hurtling towards the door, skidding on his back as he winced. 

Aigis charged forwards, rockets on her back flaring to life as she rammed into The Crawling Chaos, locking hands as they found themselves in a grappling stalemate. A Persona slowly emerged from the blonde android, taking the form of what one could assume was a goddess. A truly powerful Persona. “Pallas Athena!” Aigis yelled, as the Persona revealed itself in full glory. The goddess Persona’s fists glowed, before swinging towards Nyarlathotep with an intense fury. “God’s Hand!” The blonde yelled, as the hands struck, doing what could only be assumed to be the first bit of damage done to the monstrosity. Their grip broke, as Nyarlathotep stumbled, before recovering with astonishing speed. 

“Ah, Philemon’s little thought project. If I remember correctly, you only gained the power of the Wild Card because the first one was too much of a failure to survive.” The beast laughed, as Aigis snarled. 

Rise gasped. “Aigis, no! It’s preparing something tricky!” 

The living weapon wasn’t listening. Ren slowly sat up, only watching in awe as energy began to swirl around her at an absurd rate. It was like something out of an anime, as Aigis and Athena both pointed towards- the former with her weaponized hand and the latter with a spear. “Akasha Arts! Destroy it!” She screamed, as the Persona released another flurry of blows. Nyarlathotep chuckled, before holding out one hand, sending out a rippling wave of energy. For the moment, it seemed as if Aigis and Athena’s properties switched, with the wielder becoming rippling and semi-transparent like her Persona, and her Persona becoming fully solid and ‘realized’. Nyarlathotep took the moment to catch Athena’s spear, snapping it in half, before stabbing it into the Persona’s chest. 

Aigis’ head snapped backwards, before she clutched her head in agonizing pain. Ren thought back. In all of their fights, their Persona’s had never been attacked directly. It seemed impossible, as attacks would phase through. But this being had the ability to truly attack someone’s soul? Aigis collapsed to the ground, still trying to recover from the swift attack, as Nyarlathotep began to slowly approach Rise. 

“Let’s get one more pathetic runt out of the way. 

~~~~~~ 

Maya practically fainted. She stumbled, Katsuya catching her as an old wound on her chest began to flare up, and a sense of fear shot through her body. 

“Oh no.” She whispered. This feeling was familiar. Too familiar. There were two things that caused that wound to ache, and as much as she would love the idea that an old friend was about to stroll into the building, she was beginning to have her doubts. She grabbed on to Katsuya’s arm, tugging on it. He turned towards her, his expression shifting from bored to very worried in an instant. 

“Maya, are you alright? More headaches?” 

“Something is wrong. Something is very, very-” She paused, as Ryuji walked back into the lobby from one of the back doors. Maya, Katsuya, Yu, Chie and Yusuke turned to look at him, as he gave them a sheepish look. 

“Uh… a lot’s happened in the past, like, twenty minutes. Naoto is dead. Kirijo-san has been replaced by an evil clone, and I’m gettin’ the feeling that we need to get outta here.” He said, quickly. 

There was a brief moment of silence, before Makoto crashed down into the lobby. 

“...Wasn’t Makoto supposed to be on the top floor?” Yusuke asked, slowly approaching the hole in the ceiling that his teammate had just fell through, while the others ran over to check on Makoto. Maya closed her eyes- light surrounding her body as she summoned Artemis and casted Diarahan on the fallen girl, as she practically jumped to her feet, panting, before stumbling backwards. Katsuya caught her, staring at her with a worried expression. 

“Makoto, what’s wrong? What… happened?” 

She blinked, before looking up, dizzily. “H-huh? Katsuya-sensei? I… I was fighting and… I- I was in Kirijo’s office, but it wasn’t really Kirijo and- it was some demon? A Shadow? But not a normal shadow, it had a name…” 

Yu unsheathed his model katana, staring upwards. “...What was its name?” 

“It was… Nya… something. I- I think I need a bit of a breather, I’m sorry.” 

Maya folded her arms. “Nyarlathotep. This is bad. Really, really bad. We need to get you kids out of here, now.” Nyarlathotep was terrifying. Even her and Katsuya, who could access their Personas with ease, didn’t know how to deal with him. Not alone. And the amount of time it would take to call Lisa and Eikichi wouldn’t be worth it. They needed to leave. “Where’s Ren, Haru and Ann? You managed to get Ren, right?” 

Makoto sighed. “He wanted to fight, but… I don’t think we can win. They’re all on the top floor.” 

Katsuya grimaced, before looking at Maya. “We’re going to need to get them. They can’t fight him. We gave them enough training to summon and maybe do some fighting if needed. This is different, they’ll die if--” 

“I know that, damnit!” Maya snapped, rubbing her temples. She didn’t know if she wanted to cry, sprint up the steps as fast as she could, or just lay down and accept their fate. “We… we won’t be able to get up there in time. We’d need a miracle.” 

_”Uh, as flattered as I am, I wouldn’t call myself a miracle. Futaba works fine.”_ A flashing, multicolored, orb-like Persona floated in front of the front doors. Futaba’s voice echoed from Prometheus. _”Still, I think I could get you a ride. Hop in.”_

The idol continued to stumble backwards, genuine fear in her eyes. It’s advance was stopped by what seemed to be the sound of a storm rolling inwards. The sky darkened, almost growing to the pitch of night as a voice echoed through the air. 

“Reveal your true self! Caesar!” 

Ren’s voice was caught in his throat, as he bore witness to a gigantic Persona. He recognized it as Sanada’s Persona, the one that had the ability to wield lightning like it was nothing. But… he hadn’t realized it’s true size was so large, almost on par with the true size of Satanael. Despite the darkness, it was practically a beacon of hope. Sitting in the small throne within its chest sat Akihiko, his eyes angry. The Persona clutched a model of the Earth in one hand, before it was spun furiously, winds whipping out from it before slamming into Nyarlathotep, seemingly binding it. 

“First, Sukunda. Now, Ziodyne!” The massive Persona raised it’s sword in the air, electricity crackling before it swung the blade downwards, several bursts of lightning rocketing towards and slamming into the monster. Enough to fry and kill a normal person several times over, and after each bolt of lightning, it seemed to weaken the beast each time. Ren slowly stood up, before concentrating. He needed to be able to find his own self. It was do or die, and he knew Ziodyne wasn’t going to be enough. He felt it. This was a situation similar to Yaldabaoth. 

The cursed flames began to surround him once again, as he practically dug inside his soul for Satanael. His knees shook, his head feeling like it was seconds from exploding. He was terrified, as the flames grew wilder and he found himself inching closer to either success or utter failure. 

And then… it clicked. He felt the massive presence behind him, as Satanael revealed itself in it’s true splendor. The two gigantic Persona’s flanked the now comparatively small, false form of Kirijo Mitsuru. The massive Persona cocked its gun, pointing it at the monster. Ren smiled, as the energy began to gather. 

“Sanada-san!” Ren yelled. “On the count of three, we finish this! Consider this your redemption!” 

“Whatever you say, kid! Let’s turn this monster into dust!” Akihiko replied, Caesar’s sword raising for another attack. 

“One!” Ren took a careful, yet shaky breath. The Sinful Shell was his most powerful technique, and if this thing was so arrogant, it had to be one of the gods that his holy bullet was meant to kill. It was fate. 

“Two!” The lightning around Caesar’s sword began to crackle and heat up, turning the blade a bright red. Energy began to pump around it, as the globe it held in its hands began to fissure and crack, heat and lava exploding from the surface. 

“Three!” Ren pointed forwards. “Ravage it! Satanael!” The bullet exploded forth, made of pure light shooting towards the monster. Akihiko swung his sword downwards, the lightning slamming into Nyarlathotep first, before the bullet almost made contact… 

Almost. 

Ren gasped, as the bullet seemed to freeze in midair, slowly being overtaken by darkness, before suddenly finding itself redirected towards Akihiko. There was a crash, as the gigantuan Persona slammed into one of the buildings surrounding the Kirijo Building, fading as Akihiko began to plummet to the ground. Nyarlathotep stood up, as it’s form began to shift again. This time into a tan-skinned man with shaggy dark hair, wearing a black jacket with red trim. Professional, yet just as menacing. He rolled his neck, before stepping towards Ren, gripping him by the collar. 

“You should see the irony in this. You used that technique to kill Yaldabaoth, which was impressive, but was also what released me.” 

Ren stared, confused, before he was slowly lifted off the ground. 

“Let me explain, and do pardon the exposition, but this is important. Yaldabaoth represented humanity’s wish to be controlled. The suppression of free will. While it was able to only truly take a form in recent years, it had always existed. It was a facet of humanity. As soon as the first brain thought, Yaldabaoth was. Along with myself, Philemon, Nyx… we all existed as soon as any mind could develop such concepts. It was just… weak. Pathetic. Until humanity became weak and pathetic, and then it finally found some worth in its existence. Anyways, I was sealed many a moon ago, and Yaldabaoth was my lock. It’s obsessive control countered my chaos. But… when you killed it, and truly returned humanity's free will…” 

“...I released you.” Ren whispered, his mind racing. “But… we did a good thing. We helped people, people couldn’t just live like puppets!” 

Nyarlathotep looked at him with an expression that almost resembled pity. “Poor thing. Humanity will always be puppets in the grand theme of things. You gave people free will once more, which is beautiful and touching. The free will to kill, steal, destroy… you truly saved the world.” 

Energy began to gather, slowly finding it’s way towards Nyarlathotep. Ren looked around, before realizing where the energy was coming from with horror. It was being sapped from all of the fallen Persona users, even Rise collapsed on the ground, her Persona slowly darkening and distorting, before vanishing entirely, crawling to join the mass that was Nyarlathotep. 

“But you made one crucial mistake, ‘Joker’. Now that the major avatar for control is destroyed, I’m much more powerful than I was the last time I was freed. And so, I can jump start my plans right here and now!” The energy continued to culminate, and Ren couldn’t decide whether it was pitch black or a blinding white. “The power of Persona belonged to Philemon, but I am thou as well! He wields Personas, I wield Shadows, and so I shall send this world of light and hope into the world of Shadows that it hence came! The world shall join its forgotten past once more!” 

The orb of energy flew upwards, obliterating the ceiling before splitting and exploding in the sky into the shape of a cross. The cross hovered in the air, ominous, almost akin to the blade of a guillotine waiting to drop. 

He saw an object rising up from the edge of the building at a frightening pace. He squinted, before his heart practically stopped. 

Futaba. 

“Get out of here!” Ren screamed, as Nyarlathotep turned around, sneering. 

“More pathetic humans. Whatever, they can challenge me as much as they want. It won’t matter.” 

Several forms dropped out of the Persona, hopping in through the broken window and taking their own positions to fight. Yu ran over to Rise, checking to see if she was alright, before she passed him a pair of headphones. Maya and Yusuke stared down the Crawling Chaos, before summoning their respective Personas with a yell. Artemis charged forwards, holding out her hands and freezing the evil gods legs in place, as Susano-o aimed a quick strike at it’s arms, causing him to drop Ren. He groaned as he dropped to the floor, and looked over at his two saviors. 

“Hey, Nyarly. It’s been a while.” Maya scowled. He had never seen this expression on her before. Anger. She had seemed like the type of woman who wouldn’t let anything phase her, but right now, she seemed like she was reaching her breaking point. 

“Ah, Amano-san. Too bad we won’t be talking long.” Nyarlathotep replied snidely, before firing another barrage of almightly energy as the three newcomers. Yusuke caught the full brunt of it, being sent away like a ragdoll. Maya held her own, before focusing and sending another wave of freezing energy. “Freeze him, Artemis! Diamond Dust!” It caused enough damage to get him to attempt to block, at the very least, Ren noted. The god smiled. 

“Now that’s a Persona. I will truly enjoy killing you during this rematch.” He sent a wave of dark energy towards Maya, before a yell shook the entire penthouse, causing the wave to fly off track. Ren looked around frantically for the source, before seeing Yu, trembling. The headphones were on his head, practically smoking with the amount of electricity running through them. Yu gritted his teeth, before screaming again. 

“Persona! Everyone, run! While I can still handle-” He cut himself off with another painstaking scream, as his Persona began to pull and crawl out of the sea of souls. It was glowing, almost angelic. Definitely divine. 

_”I am thou. Thou art I. You have summoned thee from the depths of thy rage, and shall be protected by the calmness of thy soul. I am Izanagi-no-Okami, and thine purpose is to destroy this false god.”_ A calm, yet powerful voice echoed, a perfect contrast to the manic look on Yu’s normally stoic face. Izanagi-no-Okami lunged forwards, swinging it’s blade towards Nyarlathotep, as Maya sprinted past in order to grab Ren, helping him to his feet. 

“Maya-san, I…” 

“Don’t worry about it, Ren-kun. It’s not your fault.” She smiled, wearily, before pulling him towards Prometheus, as an opening appeared in the craft, and Futaba’s arm waved out of it. 

_”Hi, Ren! This is super cool, but I also don’t want to die, so let’s hurry it up!”_

Ren looked back at the battle behind him, the bright, powerful light of Izanagi verses the darkness of Nyarlathotep. He had the sudden feeling that Yu might have gotten a hold of the battle, before the Persona got swept up by the wave of dark energy, being consumed and swallowed by it as Yu collapsed to his knees. Yusuke limped back into the room, gesturing frantically for Rise to follow him, as Maya not-so-gently shoved him into Prometheus, and hopped inside as well. 

It was cramped. He wasn’t sure how Yusuke, Maya, Yu, and Futaba managed to fit in here without breaking anything. Still, he was worried about Yu. They were Wild Cards together, he couldn’t just leave him behind- and it quickly seemed like he wouldn’t, as Futaba belted out in a panicked scream. 

“I can’t move! Prometheus isn’t moving!” She screamed, before they all felt themselves jerking forwards, and a sudden blunt impact. Prometheus vanished as Futaba’s concentration fully broke, leaving them sprawled on the floor. Nyarlathotep was glaring at them, both of his hands occupied. One of them grabbing Yusuke by the neck, the other gripping Yu, and Rise stuck underneath his heel. 

“Oh, Maya. You wouldn’t be trying to take my precious Joker away, would you? That seems like cheating. After all, I wanted you to get a front row seat of the ensuing chaos.” He laughed, before the ominous cross in the sky began to make its way downwards, increasing in speed before crashing into their floor of the building. It split the building four ways, causing Ren, Maya, and Futaba to tumble in different directions. 

The bottom of the Kirijo building was engulfed in growing darkness, before it began to hitch and fall, crashing to one side, and then another, before collapsing in on itself. Ren saw forms starting to scramble from the darkness. Not his friends but… more monstrous. Demonic. The building shook again, before his vision began to grow darker and darker, his head starting to pound. 

“I know your memories of the Other Side are fuzzy, Amano, but perhaps you’ll have some slight recollection of the Grand Cross. This is similar, although I don’t have much fanfare for it. Just consider this a... ‘belated reunion’.” He turned around, staring out of the window at the growing chaos, as Ren finally let the mixture of stress, exhaustion, and pain take over, and black out entirely. 

~~~~~~ 

**Sumaru City…? Time: Unknown.**

**A lone motorcycle drove past one of many abandoned buildings. The sky was a deep, dark red, and demons flew through the air without any rhyme or reason. The motorcycle was the only man-made object that still functioned, and the there was one man on it, dressed in a ripped, red jumpsuit, and a cracked helmet. It was stopped by a wall of a few stray Jack Frosts. They hopped around, played with each other, before finally acknowledging the motorcycle in front of them.**

**_”A human-ho? Hee-here?”_ One of them snickered, before getting smacked in the back of the head. **

**_”Don’t hee-ho mess with that hee-human! That’s the-hee Sun-ho!”_ Another Jack Frost yelled, before doing the almost unimaginable, and bowing in respect, before starting to waddle out of the way. **

**_”Huh-ho? Oh! Hee… sorry-ho! We’ll move-ho!”_ The first Jack Frost stuttered, as the mob of ice demons began to shift. **

**The man on the motorcycle nodded in thanks, before continuing to drive forwards, before he heard an echoing behind him, and a wave of shadows starting to head towards him. They approached swiftly, as a mob of demons scrambled their way towards him. He braced himself, taking a deep breath before time seemed to crawl to a halt except for him. He gunned in on the motorcycle, swiveling around and starting to go into the opposite direction he was heading- the direction the mob was moving- before looking up into the air.**

**He gasped. There was a bright, gaping hole in the dark sky, and a building seemed to be falling through. Shadows and demons already seemed to be making their way upwards towards it, in several dark pillars.**

**He pulled a small lighter out of his pocket, his gloved hands flicking it open and shut, before carefully returning it. He sighed, before realizing there was one thing to do, and that was to follow along with the demons. Head towards the light.**

**Head towards freedom.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a lot to say for the end of this chapter- I had the idea to split it into 2 parts, after I explicitly said that I didn't want 'Ground Zero' to be a prologue. Especially since 16 chapters is a pretty long prologue (although most of the chapters were generally pretty short).
> 
> But at the same time, 'Ground Zero' has been so much set up and building, that this felt like the best course of action. Plus, part 2 will let me clean up my tags. Hopefully.
> 
> I tried to not just list off Nyarlathotep's attacks like I did with the others, since their unique to him and foreign to the others outside of Megidolaon, but they are based around or inspired by one of his attacks from the Persona 2 duology. With some... artistic interpretation thrown in (Despairing Dream allowing him to attack someone's Persona directly, for example).
> 
> Anyways- this is the end of Ground Zero! If you all are following this fic exclusively, I'll probably add a 'chapter 17', that's just an update that the first chapter of part 2 has been started, and a link to it. Since my post schedule is... rough.
> 
> I genuinely hope that you all are enjoying this so far!
> 
> \- WiggityFresh


	17. UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is literally just an update post.

Part 2, Dark Sun, is out! The link to the first chapter is here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20279713


End file.
